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The president of the Republic of Malawi ( ny, Mtsogoleri wa Dziko la Malawi) is the
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
and
head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...
of
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 northe ...
. The president leads the executive branch of the
Government 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 the g ...
and is the commander-in-chief of the Malawian Defence Force.


Executive branch

Under the 1995
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...
, the president, who is both
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
and
head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...
, is chosen through universal direct suffrage every 5 years. Malawi has a vice president who is elected with the president. The president has the option of appointing a second vice president, who must be from a different party. It also includes a presidentially appointed
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 * Filin ...
. The members of the
cabinet of Malawi The Cabinet of Malawi is the executive branch of the government, made up of the President, Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive ...
can be drawn from either within or outside of the
legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
. The current President is Lazarus Chakwera sworn in as president of Malawi on 28th June 2020.


Origins of the Presidency

On 6 July 1964, Nyasaland became independent from British rule and renamed itself Malawi, with
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...
as Queen of Malawi. Under a new constitution in 1966, Malawi became a republic with prime minister Hastings Banda becoming its first president. Under the country's 1966, 1994 and 1995 constitutions, the president is executive head of state and government. The first president was elected by 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 r ...
, but later presidents were elected in direct popular elections for a five-year term.


Election to the Presidency

The president is elected by a majority vote (50% + 1) of the electorate through direct, universal and equal suffrage. All
Malawian This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Malawi deri ...
citizens that have attained the age of 18 are eligible to vote in all elections. Every presidential candidate shall declare who shall be the Vice-President if elected at the time of the candidate's nomination. The Vice-President shall be elected concurrently with the President, with both names on the ballot.


List of presidents


Latest election


See also

*
List of colonial heads of Malawi (Nyasaland) List of Colonial Heads of Malawi (Nyasaland) (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office) For continuation after independence, ''see: ''List of heads of state of Malawi References See also *History of Malawi *Governor-Gen ...
*
List of Governors-General of Malawi This is a list of the heads of state of Malawi, from the independence of Malawi in 1964 to the present day. From 1964 to 1966 the head of state under the Constitution of 1964 was the queen of Malawi, Elizabeth II, who was also the queen of the ...
*
List of heads of state of Malawi This is a list of the heads of state of Malawi, from the independence of Malawi in 1964 to the present day. From 1964 to 1966 the head of state under the Constitution of 1964 was the queen of Malawi, Elizabeth II, who was also the queen of the ...
*
List of heads of government of Malawi The prime minister of Malawi was the head of government of Malawi from 1964 to 1966. Prime Minister of Malawi Political parties See also * List of Governors-General of Malawi * List of heads of state of Malawi *Lists of incumbents {{H ...
* Lists of incumbents


References

{{Heads of state and government of African states
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 northe ...
1966 establishments in Malawi