Malawian general election, 2014

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Malawian general election, 2014

Flag of Malawi.svg

←  2009 20 May 2014 (2014-05-20)2019 →
7,537,548 registered voters [1]
Simple-majority votes needed to win
Turnout 5,288,258 (70.78%) [2]

  Peter Mutharika.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Peter Mutharika Lazarus Chakwera
Party DPP MCP
Running mate Saulos Chilima Richard Msowoya
Popular vote1,904,399 1,455,880
Percentage36.4% 27.8%
  Joyce Banda Department for International Development photo crop.jpg
Nominee Joyce Banda Atupele Muluzi
Party PP UDF
Running mate Sosten Gwengwe Godfrey Chapola
Popular vote 1,056,236 717,224
Percentage 20.2% 13.7%
President before election

Joyce Banda
PP

President

Peter Mutharika
DPP

General elections were held in Malawi on 20 May 2014. They were Malawi's first tripartite elections, making it the first time the people of Malawi voted for their local governments, members of parliament and president in a single election. [3] The presidential election was won by opposition candidate Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, who defeated incumbent President Joyce Banda.

Malawi Country in Africa

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.

Peter Mutharika President of Malawi

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.

Democratic Progressive Party (Malawi) 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.

Contents

Background

Malawi's CPI increased by 27.7% in 2013, but its GDP grew by only 5%. [4] Malawi has maintained a polity score of 6 since 2005, designating it as a democracy. [5] Malawi's previous presidential election in 2009 was only the fourth such election in the country's history following the end of Hastings Banda's period of one-man rule in 1994.

Consumer price index indices tracking prices of consumer goods as an economic measure


A Consumer Price Index measures changes in the price level of market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households.

Gross domestic product market value of goods and services produced within a country

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a period of time, often annually. GDP (nominal) per capita does not, however, reflect differences in the cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries; therefore using a basis of GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) is arguably more useful when comparing differences in living standards between nations.

Polity data series Country data for 1980, 1990, 2000,2010 & 2012

The Polity data series is a widely used data series in political science research. The latest version, Polity IV, contains coded annual information on the level of democracy for most independent states with greater than 500,000 total population and covers the years 1800–2018. Polity's conclusions about a state's level of democracy are based on an evaluation of that state's elections for competitiveness and openness, the nature of political participation in general, and the extent of checks on executive authority. For each year and country, a "Polity Score" is determined which ranges from -10 to +10, with -10 to -6 corresponding to autocracies, -5 to 5 corresponding to anocracies, and 6 to 10 to democracies.

Bingu wa Mutharika, who had won the 2004 election, picked his Foreign Minister Joyce Banda to be Vice President after successfully contesting the 2009 election. She was expelled from the Democratic Progressive Party and formed the People's Party when she refused to endorse President Bingu wa Mutharika's younger brother Peter Mutharika for president in the 2014 general election. [6]

Bingu wa Mutharika politician and economist

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.

Joyce Banda 4th President of Malawai

Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician who was the President of Malawi from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011. An educator and grassroots women's rights activist, she was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and Vice-President of Malawi from May 2009 to April 2012.

Bingu wa Mutharika died of a heart attack on 5 April 2012, and Joyce Banda took the presidency according to the constitution, despite protests about not belonging to the ruling party.

The People's Party entered the election with a sitting president, but little in the way of a grass-roots machine. [6]

Presidential

Candidates

Twelve candidates were allowed to contest in the election by the Malawi Electoral Commission: [7]

Portrait NomineeParty Running mate
Joyce Banda Department for International Development photo crop.jpg Joyce Banda People's Party (PP) Sosten Gwengwe
Peter Mutharika.jpg Peter Mutharika Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Saulos Chilima
Lazarus Chakwera Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Richard Msowoya
Atupele Muluzi United Democratic Front (UDF) Godfrey Chapola
James Nyondo National Salvation Front (NASAF) Ethel Changa
Mark Katsonga Progressive Party Movement (PPM) Jacob Mbunge
Davis Katsonga Chipani cha Pfuko (CCP) Godfrey Matenganya
George Nnesa Tisinthe Alliance (TA) Sylvester Chabuka
Hellen Singh United Independent Party (UIP) Chrissy Tembo
Kamuzu Chibambo People's Transformation Party (Petra) White Scander
Friday Jumbe Labour Party (LP) Joseph Kubwalo
John Chisi Umodzi Party (UP) William Tayub

Opinion polls

The Malawi Electoral Commission cautions that opinion pollsters in Malawi often have questionable credentials and publish biased reports. [8] Some opinion polls have been criticized for lacking credibility and using non-scientific methods. [9]

Poll sourceDateSample size Joyce Banda
(PP)		 Peter Mutharika
( DPP)		 Lazarus Chakwera
(MCP)		 Atupele Muluzi
(UDF)
Research Tech Consultants [9] April 20143,88342%10%23%10%
Nyasa Times Media [10] April 201479,03030%19% 29%22%
Afrobarometer [11] April 20142,40014%27%21%14%
Election Results30 May 2014 20.2% 36.4% 27.8% 13.7%

Polling day

Amid a breakdown in electronic systems for relaying results back to IEC[ clarification needed ] headquarters, Banda claimed fraud and attempted to cancel the election after only one third of the votes were counted, and Peter Mutharika, brother of the 2009 election winner, was well ahead. Banda said another vote should be held within 90 days, and she said she would not be standing, but opposition parties and the Malawi Law Society objected. [12]

Court action ensued, [13] but the IEC said the first count would be completed, and a recount started. The result would only be announced after the recount, estimated to take two months.

Results

On 30 May 2014, the High Court ruled that any recount must be done within eight days of the vote; since the allowed period had already ended, the court ruled that the electoral commission should announce the results. [14] Accordingly, the electoral commission declared later in the day that Mutharika had won the presidential election with 36.4% of the vote. Another opposition candidate, Lazarus Chakwera of the MCP, received 27.8%, while Banda trailed in third place with 20.2%. The head of the commission, Maxon Mbendera, said that "the rule of law compels us to release the results", although he acknowledged that some of the commission's members had "reservations" about them. [15] Banda quickly said that she accepted the outcome, although she continued to describe the vote as "fraudulent". [16]

Mutharika was sworn in as President on the morning of 31 May 2014. [17] Banda congratulated Mutharika and called for national unity, urging the people to support the new President and wishing him success. [18] An inauguration ceremony for Mutharika was held in Blantyre on 2 June 2014. Banda was not present at the inauguration, held at Kamuzu Stadium, and her absence was viewed by some as a snub, given the history of bitter rivalry between the two. Mutharika said that he was offering an olive branch and wanted to "bury the past", expressing "regret" at Banda's absence. He said that he was not interested in "vengeance", although he added that "those who have broken the law will face the full course of justice". [19]

President

CandidatePartyVotes%
Peter Mutharika Democratic Progressive Party 1,904,39936.4
Lazarus Chakwera Malawi Congress Party 1,455,88027.8
Joyce Banda People's Party 1,056,23620.2
Atupele Muluzi United Democratic Front 717,22413.7
Kamuzu Chibambo People's Transformation Party 19,3600.4
Mark KatsongaProgressive Party Movement15,8300.3
John ChisiUmodzi Party12,0480.2
George NnesaTisinthe Alliance11,0420.2
James Nyondo National Salvation Front10,6230.2
Hellen SinghUnited Independent Party9,6680.2
Friday JumbeLabour Party8,8190.2
Davis Katsonga Chipani cha Pfuko 7,4540.1
Invalid/blank votes56,695–
Total5,285,278100
Registered voters/turnout7,470,80670.7
Source: MEC

National Assembly

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Democratic Progressive Party 1,133,40221.9851–63
People's Party 935,99418.1526New
Malawi Congress Party 895,65917.3748+22
United Democratic Front 496,7659.6314–3
Progressive Party Movement33,8170.6600
Alliance for Democracy 31,9070.6210
United Independent Party24,1320.470New
National Salvation Front19,6160.380New
Nthanda Congress Party16,4970.320New
New Rainbow Coalition14,0910.2700
Chipani cha Pfuko 10,5450.201New
New Labour Party4,4730.090New
Umodzi Party3,1450.060New
Malawi Forum for Unity and Development 2,8140.050–1
People's Transformation Party 2,7460.0500
Maravi People's Party 7330.010–1
People's Democratic Movement4710.010New
Independents1,530,48529.6852+20
Invalid/blank votes74,889–––
Total5,232,181100193–
Registered voters/turnout7,448,24770.25––
Source: MEC, MEC

Local government

PartyVotes%Seats
Democratic Progressive Party 165
Malawi Congress Party 131
People's Party 65
United Democratic Front 57
Chipani cha Pfuko 2
Alliance for Democracy 1
National Salvation Front1
Independents35
By-elections pending––5
Invalid/blank votes121,170––
Total5,153, 993100457
Registered voters/turnout68.99–
Source: Nyasa Times, Shanghai Daily

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References

  1. ↑ "MEC NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION STATISTICS - 2014" (PDF). Malawi Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  2. ↑ Chilunga, Zawadi (30 May 2014). "Mutharika declared winner in Malawi 2014 presidential election". Nyasa Times . Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Malawi Election Commission News Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine .", 2009
  4. ↑ "World Economic Outlook Database". International Monetary Fund. April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Authority Trends, 1964-2010: Malawi". Polity IV Project. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 Madonna attacks Malawi's president after attempt to nullify elections The Guardian
  7. ↑ Fazilla, Tembo (2014-02-21). "Malawi electoral body releases names of May 20, 2014 Presidential candidates, however, a court later approved a twelfth candidate, Professor John Chisi, who at the time was technically a civil servant and therefore not allowed to run for president. The following are the Presidential candidates". thezambezian.com. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  8. ↑ "Malawi media cautioned on opinion polls ahead of 2014 tripartite elections". Nyasa Times. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 Muheya, Green (29 April 2014). "Malawi opposition in denial mode over opinion polls". Nyasa Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Kufa, Charles (15 April 2014). "JB in front, survey tips tight race for LoP post". Nyasa Times. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Malawi's 2014 Elections: Amid Concerns About Fairness, Outcome is Too Close to Call" (PDF). Afrobarometer. April 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  12. ↑ Malawi to recount votes after fraud claims News24
  13. ↑ Malawi court demands election results before recount
  14. ↑ Zawadi Chilunga, "Court rules MEC should declare winner of Malawi presidential polls" Archived 31 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine ., Nyasa Times, 30 May 2014.
  15. ↑ Zawadi Chilunga, "Mutharika declared winner in Malawi 2014 presidential election" Archived 31 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine ., Nyasa Times, 30 May 2014.
  16. ↑ Wanga Gwede, "JB accepts to hand over power to APM: Malawi presidency" Archived 31 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine ., Nyasa Times, 30 May 2014.
  17. ↑ Zawadi Chilunga, "'So help me God': Mutharika sworn in as Malawi President, Chilima VP", Nyasa Times, 31 May 2014.
  18. ↑ Thom Chiumia, "Defeated JB congratulates Mutharika: 'Malawi must move forward'" Archived 1 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine ., Nyasa Times, 31 May 2014.
  19. ↑ Zawadi Chilunga, "Mutharika regrets JB's snub in power handover: Muluzi cheered" Archived 6 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine ., Nyasa Times, 2 June 2014.
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