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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Malawi |
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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]
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. Malawi is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an estimated population of 18,091,575. Lake Malawi takes up about a third of Malawi's area. Its capital is Lilongwe, which is also Malawi's largest city; the second largest is Blantyre, the third is Mzuzu and the fourth largest is its old capital Zomba. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area. The country is also nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa" because of the friendliness of the people.
The President of the Republic of Malawi is the head of state and head of government of Malawi. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of Malawi and is the commander-in-chief of the Malawian Defence Force.
Bingu wa Mutharika was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democratic Progressive Party, which he founded in February 2005; it obtained a majority in Malawi's parliament in the 2009 general election. During his two terms in office, he was noted for being the Chairperson of the African Union in 2010–2011, as well as for several domestic controversies. In 2009, he purchased a private presidential jet for $13.26 million. This was followed almost immediately by a nationwide fuel shortage which was officially blamed on logistical problems, but was more likely due to the hard currency shortage caused by the freezing of aid by the international community He died of cardiac arrest in Lilongwe while in office on 5 April 2012, at age 78.
There were five candidates for the presidential election:
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.
The Mgwirizana Coalition is an electoral alliance in Malawi. At the last general elections, 20 May 2004, the coalition won 27 out of 194 seats. Member parties of the coalition are:
Hastings Kamuzu Banda was the prime minister and later president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994. In 1966, the country became a republic and he became president.
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.
The Republican Party is a political party in Malawi. It was founded by Stanley Masauli and Gwanda Chakuamba in 2004. At the general election of 20 May 2004 its candidate for president won 25.7% of the vote, and the party was part of the Mgwirizano Coalition, which won 27 out of 194 seats.
The People's Progressive Movement 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.
The Movement for Genuine Democratic Change is a political party in Malawi. At the last general elections, 20 May 2004, the party was part of the Mgwirizano Coalition, that won 27 out of 194 seats.
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Bingu wa Mutharika | United Democratic Front | 1,195,586 | 35.97 |
John Tembo | Malawi Congress Party | 937,965 | 28.22 |
Gwanda Chakuamba | Mgwirizano Coalition | 836,118 | 25.16 |
Brown Mpinganjira | National Democratic Alliance | 286,320 | 8.61 |
Justin Malewezi | People's Progressive Movement | 67,812 | 2.04 |
Invalid/blank votes | 89,764 | – | |
Total | 3,413,565 | 100 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 5,752,028 | 59.35 | |
Source: CMI |
Polling in six constituencies was delayed due to printing errors on the ballot papers. [4]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Democratic Front | 801,200 | 25.34 | 49 | –44 |
Malawi Congress Party | 785,671 | 24.85 | 57 | –9 |
National Democratic Alliance | 256,713 | 8.12 | 9 | New |
Republican Party | 231,002 | 7.31 | 15 | New |
Alliance for Democracy | 114,017 | 3.61 | 6 | –23 |
People's Progressive Movement | 98,548 | 3.12 | 6 | New |
Movement for Genuine Democratic Change | 53,127 | 1.68 | 3 | New |
People's Transformation Party | 21,153 | 0.67 | 1 | New |
Malawi Forum for Unity and Development | 11,655 | 0.37 | 0 | New |
New Congress for Democracy | 9,545 | 0.30 | 0 | New |
Congress for National Unity | 7,410 | 0.23 | 1 | New |
Malawi Democratic Party | 2,494 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 |
National Unity Party | 2,336 | 0.07 | 0 | New |
Pamodzi Freedom Party | 363 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
National Solidarity Movement | 216 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
Independents | 766,137 | 24.23 | 40 | +36 |
Unfilled seats | – | – | 6 | – |
Invalid/blank votes | 167,376 | – | – | – |
Total | 3,328,963 | 100 | 193 | 0 |
Registered voters/turnout | 5,603,225 | 59.41 | – | – |
Source: MEC |
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Right Hon Dr Justin Malewezi or Justin Chimera Malewezi is 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.
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.
Goodall Edward Gondwe is a Malawian economist who has served in the cabinet of Malawi as Minister of Finance since 2014. 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.
Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician, educator and lawyer who has been President of Malawi since 31 May 2014. Mutharika has worked globally in the field of international justice. He is an expert on 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.
Atupele Muluzi is a Malawian politician and Member of Parliament for Machinga North East constituency since 2004. He is also the President of the United Democratic Front its presidential candidate during the 201 election. He 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 he became Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2015. He is currently Minister of Health. He is the son former president Bakili Muluzi.
Harry Thomson a.k.a. “Clean Harry” is a Malawian business man, Minister and politician. He was born in Zomba, the capital of Nyasaland in 1934. He is a founding member of the UDF party and former Minister of Trade and Industry.
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.
General elections will be held in Malawi on 21 May 2019 to elect the President, National Assembly and local government councillors.