General elections were held in
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
on 17 May 1994 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:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and
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 repre ...
. They were the first multi-party elections in the country since prior to independence in
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
, and the first since the
restoration of multi-party democracy the previous year. The
Malawi Congress Party
The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a politics of Malawi, 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 H ...
(MCP), which had governed the country since independence (from 1966 to 1993 as the
sole legal party), was decisively beaten by the
United Democratic Front (UDF). Former President-for-life
Hastings Banda
Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the Prime Minister of Malawi, prime minister and later President of Malawi, president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm) ...
, in power since independence, was defeated in by the UDF's
Bakili Muluzi
Elson Bakili Muluzi (born March 17, 1943 in Machinga, Nyasaland) is a Malawian politician who was the first freely elected president of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. He was also chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) until 2009. He succeeded ...
, who took 47 percent of the vote to Banda's 33 percent.
[
At a reputed age of 96, Banda would have been the oldest elected president in world history had he won. He was one of the oldest persons running for that office in history.
]
Campaign
The National Assembly elections were contested by eight parties, who put forward a total of 600 candidates, as well as 13 independents. The UDF won 88 seats, three short of a majority, whilst the MCP finished second with 56 seats. Results in two seats, both won by Banda's MCP, were annulled due to irregularities.[Malawi: Parliamentary Chamber: National Assembly: Elections held in 1994]
Inter-Parliamentary Union Voter turnout was 79.6%.Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An expe ...
, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p558
Results
President
National Assembly
Aftermath
Following the elections, on 25 May Muluzi formed a 25-member cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
, including members of the Malawi National Democratic Party
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
and the United Front for Multiparty Democracy
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* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
. He left three posts unfilled in the hope that the Alliance for Democracy would also join the government.[
]
References
{{Malawian elections
Presidential elections in Malawi
Elections in Malawi
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
1994 in Malawi
May 1994 events in Africa