General elections were held in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

on 20 May 2004 to elect a

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. The election had originally been scheduled for 18 May but was postponed for two days in response to opposition complaints of irregularities in the voter roll. By 22 May no results had been announced, leading to protests from the opposition and threats of disorder. On 25 May the Malawi Electoral Commission finally announced the results of the election.

Bingu wa Mutharika Bingu wa Mutharika (; born Brightson Webster Ryson Thom; 24 February 1934 – 5 April 2012) was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democ ...

, the candidate of the ruling United Democratic Front, was declared the winner of the presidential poll, whilst the

Malawi Congress Party The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under Hastings Banda, pre ...

had won most seats in the National Assembly vote. Voter turnout was around 62%.

Campaign

President

There were five candidates for the presidential election: *

Gwanda Chakuamba Gwandaguluwe "Gwanda" Chakuamba Phiri (4 April 1935 – 24 October 2016) was a Malawian politician who was the leader of the New Republican Party (NRP). He hailed from Nsanje, a district on the southern part of Malawi. Gwanda Chakuamba attended ...

, aged 69, was the candidate of a seven-party opposition coalition, the

Mgwirizano Coalition The Mgwirizano Coalition is an electoral alliance in Malawi. At the 20 May 2004 general election, the coalition won 27 out of 194 seats. Member parties of the coalition are: *Malawi Democratic Party * Malawi Forum for Unity and Development * M ...

or Unity Coalition. Chakuamba has a colourful past, having been a senior minister and militia commander under former President-for-life

Hastings Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda ( – 25 November 1997) was a Malawian politician and statesman who served as the leader of Malawi from 1964 to 1994. He served as Prime Minister of Malawi, Prime Minister from independence in 1964 to 1966, when Malawi was ...

. In 1980 he fell out with Banda, whose assassination he was accused of plotting. He spent 12 years in prison and emerged a popular hero, then succeeded Banda as leader of his party, the

. *

Justin Malewezi Justin Chimera Malewezi (23 December 1943 – 17 April 2021) was a Malawian politician and a Member of Parliament for Ntchisi North in the Central Region of Malawi. He was Vice-President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. Malewezi quit the United De ...

, Vice-President of Malawi under Bakili Muluzi, stood as the candidate of the People's Progressive Movement, having been passed over by the ruling party. * Brown Mpinganjira, aged 55, was the candidate of the

National Democratic Alliance The National Democratic Alliance (NDA; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Rāṣṭrīya Lokatāntrik Gaṭhabandhan'') is an Indian big tent Political group, multi-party political alliance, led by the country's biggest political party, the Bharatiya Janata Pa ...

, a breakaway group from the ruling party. * John Tembo, aged 72, was the candidate of the Malawi Congress Party. *

, a 70-year-old economist and veteran politician who was the candidate of the ruling United Democratic Front, although he had previously run for president under the United Party banner. He was supported by the outgoing president,

Bakili Muluzi Elson Bakili Muluzi (born 17 March 1943) is a Malawian politician who was President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. He was also chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) until 2009. He succeeded Hastings Kamuzu Banda as Malawi's president. He al ...

National Assembly

A total of 1,268 candidates ran in the election of which 373 were independents and the rest representing fifteen parties.The Institutional Context of the 2004 General Elections in Malawi
CMI Seven parties contested the elections as the

; the Republican Party, the People's Progressive Movement, the Movement for Genuine Democratic Change, the

People's Transformation Party The People's Transformation Party (PETRA) is a political party in Malawi. In the general elections on 20 May 2004, the party was part of the Mgwirizano Coalition, that won 27 out of 194 seats. PETRA was part of the Tonse Alliance to support Laza ...

, the

Malawi Forum for Unity and Development The Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (MAFUNDE) is a political party in Malawi. In the general elections on 20 May 2004, the party was part of the Mgwirizano Coalition, that won 27 out of 194 seats. MAFUNDE was part of the Tonse Alliance to ...

, the

National Unity Party The National Unity Party, National United Party, Party of National Unity or National Unity Front may refer to: * National United Party of Afghanistan (founded 2003) * National Unity Party (Albania) * National United Party (Armenia), defunct * Natio ...

and the

Malawi Democratic Party The Malawi Democratic Party is a political party in Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozam ...

Results

President

National Assembly

Polling in six constituencies was delayed due to printing errors on the ballot papers.Elections held in 2004
IPU

References

{{Malawian elections Presidential elections in Malawi Elections in Malawi

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...