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 northeas ...

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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

– 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 rep ...

. The President and members of the National Assembly, elected simultaneously at a General Election, together form the Malawi Parliament owing to the presidents dual role as 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 and the vice-president 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 Malawi High Court and subsequently backed by the Malawi 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 by the current president,

Lazarus Chakwera Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera (born 5 April 1955) is a Malawian theologian and politician who has served as President of Malawi since June 2020. In addition to the Presidency, he also serves as Defence minister, Minister of Defence per Malawian cons ...

, 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 rep ...

currently has 193 members, elected for a five-year term in single-seat

constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

. The Malawi 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 in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coa ...

system, which means that there are multiple parties as well as a number of

independent politicians An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

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

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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and local government councillors. Incumbent President

Peter Mutharika Arthur Peter Mutharika (born 18 July 1940) is a 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 law, inter ...

of the Democratic Progressive Party 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 ...

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

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

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, pres ...

, who defeated Mutharika by margin of 59% to 40%.

Previous Elections

Referendums

* Malawian referendum for democracy, 1993

Elections

2014 Malawian general election General elections were held in Malawi on 20 May 2014. They were Malawi's first tripartite elections, the first time the president, National Assembly and local councillors were elected on the same day.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 General elections were held in Malawi on 15 June 1999 to elect the President and National Assembly. They were originally scheduled for 25 May, but were postponed twice as a result of requests by the opposition to extend the voter registration peri ...

1994 Malawian general election General elections were held in Malawi on 17 May 1994 to elect the President and National Assembly. They were the first multi-party elections in the country since prior to independence in 1964, and the first since the restoration of multi-party ...

References

External links

Adam Carr's Election Archive

International academic conference on the 2009 General Elections

Video Documentary on Malawi's 2009 General Elections
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