2004 Malawian general election

Last updated
2004 Malawian general election
Flag of Malawi.svg
  1999 20 May 2004 (2004-05-20) 2009  
Presidential election
  Lula Mutharika (Cropped).JPG John Tembo.jpg
Nominee Bingu wa Mutharika John Tembo
Party UDF MCP
Popular vote1,195,586937,965
Percentage35.97%28.22%

  Gwanda Chakuamba (cropped).jpg Brown Mpinganjira 2013 (cropped).jpg
Nominee Gwanda Chakuamba Brown Mpinganjira
Party MC NDA
Popular vote836,118286,320
Percentage25.16%8.61%

President before election

Bakili Muluzi
UDF

President

Bingu wa Mutharika
UDF

General elections were held in Malawi on 20 May 2004 to elect a President and the National Assembly. 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. [1] 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, the candidate of the ruling United Democratic Front, was declared the winner of the presidential poll, whilst the Malawi Congress Party had won most seats in the National Assembly vote. Voter turnout was around 62%. [2]

Contents

Campaign

President

There were five candidates for the presidential election:

National Assembly

A total of 1,268 candidates ran in the election of which 373 were independents and the rest representing fifteen parties. [3]

Seven parties contested the elections as the Mgwirizano Coalition; the Republican Party, the People's Progressive Movement, the Movement for Genuine Democratic Change, the People's Transformation Party, the Malawi Forum for Unity and Development, the National Unity Party and the Malawi Democratic Party.

Results

President

CandidateRunning matePartyVotes%
Bingu wa Mutharika Cassim Chilumpha United Democratic Front 1,195,58635.97
John Tembo Peter Chiwona Malawi Congress Party 937,96528.22
Gwanda Chakuamba Aleke Banda Mgwirizano Coalition 836,11825.16
Brown Mpinganjira Mary Clara Makungwa National Democratic Alliance 286,3208.61
Justin Malewezi Jimmy Hastings Koreia-Mpatsa People's Progressive Movement 67,8122.04
Total3,323,801100.00
Valid votes3,323,80197.37
Invalid/blank votes89,7642.63
Total votes3,413,565100.00
Registered voters/turnout5,752,02859.35
Source: CMI

National Assembly

Polling in six constituencies was delayed due to printing errors on the ballot papers. [4]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
United Democratic Front 801,20025.3449–44
Malawi Congress Party 785,67124.8557–9
National Democratic Alliance 256,7138.129New
Republican Party 231,0027.3115New
Alliance for Democracy 114,0173.616–23
People's Progressive Movement 98,5483.126New
Movement for Genuine Democratic Change 53,1271.683New
People's Transformation Party 21,1530.671New
Malawi Forum for Unity and Development 11,6550.370New
New Congress for Democracy9,5450.300New
Congress for National Unity 7,4100.231New
Malawi Democratic Party 2,4940.0800
National Unity Party 2,3360.070New
Pamodzi Freedom Party3630.010New
National Solidarity Movement2160.010New
Independents766,13724.2340+36
Vacant6
Total3,161,587100.001930
Valid votes3,161,58794.97
Invalid/blank votes167,3765.03
Total votes3,328,963100.00
Registered voters/turnout5,603,22559.41
Source: MEC

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakili Muluzi</span> President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004

Elson Bakili Muluzi 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 Hastings Kamuzu Banda as Malawi's president. He also served in Banda's cabinet as minister without portfolio, before retiring in 1980.

The United Democratic Front is a political party in Malawi founded in 1992 by Bakili Muluzi. It claims to be a liberal party in Malawi and is mainly strong in the southern region populated by ethnic Yao. Bakili Muluzi was President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004.

Brown James Mpinganjira, popularly known as BJ is a Malawian Politician who used his 1986 detention to fight the injustices of the then one party state. He worked with others in prison and used their time to devise ways on how to change the direction of Malawi's political state. Mpinganjira was detained in 1986 and was released in 1991 due to international pressure. He began working for British council upon his release and received support from international community to form a pressure group and lobby for a referendum to decide whether Malawi was still to remain a one party state or become a multi party democracy. In the 1993 referendum, history was made at the polls when Malawians voted for multi party democracy. In the first multi party elections, Mpinganjira contested as Member of Parliament in his home town Mulanje. He won the parliamentary seat in 1994 and served as an MP for Mulanje Central for 15years. In the 15 years that he was in parliament, Mpinganjira had a colourful political career and is one of the best political masterminds in Malawi. He has contested once as a presidential candidate for National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2004 and as a running mate in the Mgwirizano Coalition in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Progressive Party (Malawi)</span> Political party in Malawi

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a political party in Malawi. The party was formed in February 2005 by Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika after a dispute with the United Democratic Front (UDF), which was led by his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi.

The Alliance for Democracy is a political party in Malawi that marked its history as laying the foundation for multi-party rule in Malawi. It began as an underground political movement during the Kamuzu Banda era and later evolved to a political party during the multi-party era under the leadership of trade union activist, Chakufwa Chihana. AFORD has a stronghold in the northern region. The president is Godfrey Shawa.

The People's Progressive Movement (PPM) is a political party in Malawi. At the elections of 20 May 2004, its candidate for president Aleke Banda won 2.5% and the party was part of the Mgwirizano Coalition, that won 27 out of 194 seats. Aleke Banda was the close friend of hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1956. He was among the people who founded the Nyasaland Congress Party. He was also saved as Ministry of Agriculture in the United Democratic Front (UDF) during Bakali Muluzi's time. He left UDF together with Mark Katsonga Phiri and formed their party after there was disagreement with Muluzi about the Presidency of Bingu wa Munthalika.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tembo</span> Malawian politician (born 1932)

John Zenus Ungapake Tembo is a Malawian politician who served for years as President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Tembo comes from the Dedza District in central Malawi, and he is a teacher by profession. Beginning in the 1960s he was an important politician in Malawi, and he was a key figure in the regime of Hastings Banda (1964–1994). He has been variously described as "physically slight, ascetic, fastidious" and "cunning". He was replaced as President of the MCP in August 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwanda Chakuamba</span>

Gwandaguluwe "Gwanda" Chakuamba Phiri 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 Zomba Catholic Secondary School, a 2 year metriculation at Sulosi College in Bulawayo Zimbabwe before proceeding to the US to study law though not much is known about whether he did a degree program or a short course.

Rodwell Thomas Changara Munyenyembe was a Malawian politician who served twice as Speaker of the National Assembly, from 1994 to 1999 and again from 2004 until his death. He also twice served as a cabinet minister, in the governments of Hastings Banda and Bakili Muluzi. He worked as a teacher prior to entering politics.

Cassim Chilumpha is a Malawian politician who was Vice-President of Malawi from June 2004 to May 2009. Later, under President Joyce Banda, he was appointed as Minister of Energy and Mining in April 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Banda</span> President of Malawi from 2012 to 2014

Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician who was the President of Malawi from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011. An educator and grassroots women's rights activist, she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and the Vice-President of Malawi from May 2009 to April 2012. She had served in various roles as a member of Parliament and as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare before she became the President of the Republic of Malawi.

Justin Chimera Malewezi 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 Democratic Front in 2004 and eventually represented the People's Progressive Movement in the 2004 general election, in which he garnered 2.5% of the total national vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Malawian general election</span>

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. The election was won by Mutharika, who was re-elected to the Presidency with around two-thirds of the vote. Mutharika's DPP also won a strong parliamentary majority.

Billy Abner Mayaya is a Malawian human rights activist, artist, poet and theologian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodall Gondwe</span>

Goodall Edward Gondwe is a Malawian economist who served in the cabinet of Malawi as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2019. Previously he was Minister of Finance from 2004 to 2009, Minister of Local Government from 2009 to 2010, and Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Affairs from 2011 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Mutharika</span> President of Malawi from 2014 to 2020

Arthur Peter Mutharika 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, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atupele Muluzi</span>

Atupele Muluzi is a Malawian politician, businessman and was a Member of Parliament for Machinga North East constituency from 2004 until May 27, 2019. He is also the President of the United Democratic Front and was a presidential candidate during the 2019 election. He was a running mate in the 2020 presidential elections, on a coalition ticket with incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party. Muluzi was Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining from 2014 to 2015 and the only opposition member to serve in the Mutharika administration. Subsequently, he served as Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security in 2015, and then Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2015. He is currently Minister of Health. He is the son of the former president Bakili Muluzi.

Harry Thomson, also known as "Clean Harry", was a Malawian politician. He was born in Zomba, the capital of Nyasaland. He was a founding member of the United Democratic Front party (UDF) and a Minister of Trade and Industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Malawian general election</span>

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. The presidential election was won by opposition candidate Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, who defeated incumbent President Joyce Banda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Malawian general election</span> Annulled election won by President Peter Mutharika

General elections were held in Malawi on 21 May 2019 to elect the President, National Assembly and local government councillors. Incumbent President Peter Mutharika 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 annulled the presidential election results due to evidence of irregularities, and ordered fresh elections be held. They were widely dubbed the "Tipp-Ex elections" after a brand of correction fluid which opponents claimed had been used to tamper with votes.

References