C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s civil or criminal cases and are located in cities and towns throughout the country. They include the Child Justice Court, which deals with child abuse and offences committed by those under the age of 16. Appeals from the magistrates’ courts are heard by the High Court and those arising from the High Court by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Blantyre, which is the final court of appeal. Government and politics Last elections: May 2009 (presidential and parliamentary) Next elections: 2014 (presidential and parliamentary) Head of State: President Joyce Hilda Banda Head of Government: the President Ruling party: Democratic Progressive Party Speculation that President Bakili Muluzi would decide to stand for a third term at the 2004 election, requiring an amendment to the constitution, ended in July 2002, after a narrow majority of parliamentarians had voted against such an amendment. Then in April 2003 Dr Bingu wa Mutharika was confirmed as the presidential candidate of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF). Muluzi appointed four Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) members as cabinet ministers and AFORD agreed to support the UDF candidate at the next election. In a close contest in May 2004, Mutharika (UDF) won the presidential election with 35.9 per cent, John Tembo of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) coming second with 27.1 per cent and Gwanda Chakuamba (Mgwirizano Coalition) third with 25.7 per cent. In the simultaneous parliamentary elections MCP took 60 seats, UDF 49, Mgwirizano Coalition 16 and UDF’s ally AFORD six. Though both the ruling UDF coalition and the MCP claimed to have won presidential and parliamentary elections, Mutharika was sworn in as President and formed a government while the opposition mounted violent protests. In the succeeding weeks the President secured the support of first Chakuamba and then the National Democratic Alliance. However, in February 2005, with the support of majority of his cabinet, Chakuamba and a number of MPs, he left the UDF to form a new party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). In the presidential election in May 2009, Mutharika received 66 per cent of votes, a substantially higher share than in 2004. His main challenger, MCP leader Tembo, took 31 per cent. In the parliamentary elections, the ruling DPP won 114 seats, the MCP 26, the UDF 17 and independents 32. Before the elections former President Muluzi made a further attempt to run for the presidency. The electoral commission ruled that he was not eligible because he had already served two terms, the maximum allowed by the constitution. Muluzi appealed this decision in the High Court, which upheld the electoral commission’s ruling. He later made an appeal to the Constitutional Court, which also upheld the ruling. Following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika on 5 April 2012, Vice-President Joyce Banda was sworn in as President on 7 April. Local government Ministry: Local Government and Rural Development Association: Malawi Local Government Association There are three regions: Northern (its capital Mzuzu; comprising six districts), Central (capital Lilongwe; nine districts) and Southern (capital Blantyre; 13 districts). Local government is provided for by the Local Government Act 1998, and it is enshrined in Chapter XIV of the constitution. The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development is responsible for local government, which, following amendment of the Local Government Act 1998 in 2010, comprises two city councils and 32 district councils, all of which are single-tier. Local elections are due to be held every five years; but in mid-2013 there had been no local elections since 2000. The local authorities have revenue-raising powers, but receive the bulk of their revenues from central government. Their main responsibilities include primary health, primary education, community services, natural resources and forestry. National development plan The National Development Strategy 1997–2020 was launched in March 1998. This vision statement was prepared by a team representing civil society and private sector as well as government. Their work was guided by a broad national consultation process, at the end of which the statement, Vision 2020, expressed the aspiration of the Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2013/14 196 Governance institutions Malawi Electoral Commission: www.mec.org.mw Parliament of Malawi: www.parliament.gov.mw Anti-Corruption Bureau: www.anticorruptionbureau. mw Ministry of Finance: www.finance.gov.mw Revenue Authority: www.mra.mw Ministry of Industry, Trade and Private-Sector Development: www.trade.gov.mw Reserve Bank of Malawi: www.rbm.mw Malawi Stock Exchange: www.mse.co.mw Bureau of Standards: www.mbsmw.org
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