Elections In Malawi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 ...
elects on the national leve
a head of state and government (Malawi Constitution, 1994 p 27)
– the
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 a
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 President and members of the National Assembly, elected simultaneously at a General Election, together form the Malawian Parliament owing to the President's role as both head of government and head of state. In practice however, the National Assembly is on par with the executive and is able to exercise oversight functions through investigations and public hearings on various matters including those involving the executive. The
President of Malawi The president of the Republic of Malawi () is the head of state and head of government of Malawi. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of Malawi and is the commander-in-chief of the Malawian Defence Force. The current ...
and the Vice-President of Malawi are elected jointly to a five-year term through universal suffrage. In order to be duly elected, a presidential candidate and their running mate must have more than 50 percent of the total valid votes cast at the election. If no candidate achieves that threshold, a runoff election is organized within 60 days in which the two most popular candidates contest. The provision for a runoff election was first introduced by the Malawian High Court and subsequently backed by the Malawian Supreme Court of Appeal in 2020 following an electoral petition contesting the results of the 2019 elections which resulted in the invalidation of the presidential election. Parliament, following the recommendations of both courts, then amended and passed the presidential, parliamentary and local government elections act in 2022 which was then assented to by the current President,
Lazarus Chakwera Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera (born 5 April 1955) is a Malawian politician and theologian who has served as President of Malawi since June 2020. He has served as the leader of the Malawi Congress Party since 2013. He was president of the Malawi Asse ...
, in February of 2023. In addition to provisions for runoff elections, the act also stipulates the precise procedures by which the electoral process from candidate nominations, the campaigning process, to the vote counting and announcement of results. It also stipulates legal remedies for dealing with complaints and potential violations of the electoral process, including outlining the precise powers of the High Court in addressing electoral irregularities. The amended act is currently in force. 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 ...
currently has 193 members, elected for a five-year term in single-seat
constituencies An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
. The Malawian Electoral Commission however completed its belated constitutionally mandated review of constituencies and has recommended to parliament an increase to the membership of the National Assembly in line with population trends, settlement patterns, voter accessibility concerns, and other stipulated requirements outlined in the constitution. The review is likely to be adopted and upheld by parliament. Malawi is a
multi-party In political science, a multi-party system is a political system where more than two meaningfully-distinct political parties regularly run for office and win elections. Multi-party systems tend to be more common in countries using proportional r ...
system, which means that there are multiple parties as well as a number of
independent politicians An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or Bureaucracy, bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicia ...
who do not formally associate with any party. Malawian citizens who are 18 or over are entitled to vote. Foreign nationals who have lived in Malawi for 7 years can also vote.


Latest elections


2019 Malawian general election

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 21 May 2019 to elect the
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 ...
,
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 ...
and local government councillors. Incumbent President
Peter Mutharika Arthur Peter Mutharika (born 18 July 1940) is a Malawi, Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic la ...
of the
Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
was re-elected, with his party remaining the largest in the National Assembly. However, on 3 February 2020, the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
annulled the presidential election results due to evidence of irregularities, and ordered fresh elections be held.


2020 Malawian presidential election

Presidential 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 23 June 2020, having originally been scheduled for 19 May and later 2 July. The result of the re-run elections was a victory for
Lazarus Chakwera Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera (born 5 April 1955) is a Malawian politician and theologian who has served as President of Malawi since June 2020. He has served as the leader of the Malawi Congress Party since 2013. He was president of the Malawi Asse ...
of 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 ...
, who defeated Mutharika by margin of 59% to 40%.


Previous elections


Referendums

*
1993 Malawian democracy referendum A referendum on reintroducing multi-party democracy was held in Malawi on 14 June 1993. It asked voters to decide whether Malawi would remain a single-party state or transition to a multiparty democracy. The country had been governed by the Ma ...


Elections

*
2019 Malawian general election General elections were held in Malawi on 21 May 2019 to elect the President of Malawi, President, National Assembly (Malawi), National Assembly and local government councillors. Incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive P ...
* 2014 Malawian general election *
2009 Malawian general election General elections were held in Malawi on 19 May 2009. Incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika ran for re-election; his main opponent was John Tembo, the president of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Five other candidates also ran.
* 2004 Malawian general election * 1999 Malawian general election * 1994 Malawian general election


See also

*
Cabinet of Malawi The Cabinet of Malawi is the executive branch of the government, made up of the President, Vice President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers responsible for the different departments. Cabinet as of 31 January 2023 A new cabinet was appointed on ...
, Past cabinets of Malawi *
Politics of Malawi Politics of Malawi takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malawi is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by th ...
* List of Malawian political parties *
Electoral calendar This national electoral calendar for 2025 lists the national/ federal elections scheduled to be held in 2025 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referenda are included. Specific d ...
*
Electoral system An electoral or voting system is a set of rules used to determine the results of an election. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, nonprofit organizations and inf ...


References


External links


Adam Carr's Election Archive

International academic conference on the 2009 General Elections

Video Documentary on Malawi's 2009 General Elections
{{Malawi topics