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Turnout | 64.81% | |||||||||||||||||||
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Malawiportal |
Presidential elections were held in Malawi on 23 June 2020, having originally been scheduled for 19 May and later 2 July. [1] [2] They followed the annulment of the results of the 2019 presidential elections, in which Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party had received the most votes.
The result of the re-run elections was a victory for Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party, who defeated Mutharika by margin of 59% to 40%.
The elections were hailed by observers as being both free and fair. [3]
In the May 2019 general elections, incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was re-elected with 39% of the vote, defeating Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (35%) and Saulos Chilima of the United Transformation Movement (20%). The DPP also remained the largest party in the National Assembly, winning 62 of the 193 seats. However, the presidential election was challenged in court by Chakwera and Chilima, and in February 2020 the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential election results, citing evidence of irregularities, and ordered fresh elections be held within 150 days. [4]
Parliament passed the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act (PPEA) Amendment Bill on 24 February, setting 19 May as the date for the new presidential elections and extending the terms of MPs and local councillors by one year to allow for harmonised presidential, parliamentary and local elections in 2025. [2] In March the Malawi Electoral Commission announced a new election date, 2 July, one day before the 150-day limit to hold elections set by the Constitutional Court. [5] On 21 May the Legal Affairs committee of parliament endorsed fresh presidential elections to be held on 23 June rather than 2 July. [6]
As a result of the Constitutional Court ruling, the President of Malawi would be elected using the two-round system, [4] replacing the former first-past-the-post system used in 2019. [7]
Lazarus Chakwera and Peter Kuwani filed their respective nominations on 6 May 2020. Peter Mutharika filed his nomination the following day, with Atupele Muluzi as his running mate. [8]
A poll conducted by IPOR Malawi showed that 53% of respondents expected Lazarus Chakwera to win the election, while 31% expected Mutharika to win. [9]
On a national level, according to the polls, 51% would vote for Chakwera, while 33% for Mutharika and 0.2% for Peter Kuwani. [10]
Another poll by Afrobarometer suggested that Chakwera was most likely to win the election. [11]
Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lazarus Chakwera | Saulos Chilima | Malawi Congress Party | 2,604,043 | 59.34 | |
Peter Mutharika | Atupele Muluzi | Democratic Progressive Party | 1,751,877 | 39.92 | |
Peter Kuwani | Archibald Kalawang'oma | Mbakuwaku Movement for Development | 32,456 | 0.74 | |
Total | 4,388,376 | 100.00 | |||
Valid votes | 4,388,376 | 98.71 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 57,323 | 1.29 | |||
Total votes | 4,445,699 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 6,859,570 | 64.81 | |||
Source: Malawi Electoral Commission |
Opposition figures in other African countries have been reportedly congratulating Chakwera's victory, including the leader of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change, Nelson Chamisa, leader of Tanzania's Alliance for Change and Transparency, Zitto Kabwe, former leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, leader of Zambia's National Democratic Congress Chishimba Kambwili, and aspiring presidential candidate for the 2021 Ugandan general election Henry Tumukunde. [12] [13] [14] [15]
In August 2021 the DPP appealed to the Supreme Court to annul the election results on the basis that in June 2020 the High Court had cancelled the appointments of four DPP members who had been appointed to the Malawi Electoral Commission prior to the elections. The DPP claimed that this meant the 2020 elections had been managed by incorrectly appointed members, and was therefore null and void. [16] [17] The Constitutional Court rejected the Democratic Progressive Party's application for the nullification of the elections, describing it as an abuse of court process and an attempt by the DPP to benefit from its own illegality. [18]
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 government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. There is a cabinet of Malawi that is appointed by the President of Malawi. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Malawi elects on the national level a head of state and government – the President – and a national assembly. 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 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.
John Zenus Ungapake Tembo was 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 was 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.
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Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician, who served as 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 has 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.
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