C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s Government and politics Last elections: 20 May 2014 (presidential and parliamentary) Next elections: 2019 (presidential and parliamentary) Head of state: President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika Head of government: The President Ruling party: Democratic Progressive Party Women MPs: 17% 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 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 of the votes, 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 56 seats, UDF 49, Mgwirizano Coalition 25, UDF’s ally AFORD six and independents 39. 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 most 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 113 seats, the MCP 27, the UDF 17 and independents 33. 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. In a closely fought presidential contest, on 20 May 2014 the DPP candidate, Peter Mutharika – with 36.4 per cent of the vote – defeated the MCP’s Lazarus Chakwera (27.8 per cent), and incumbent President and People’s Party leader Joyce Banda (20.2 per cent). Mutharika was sworn in as President on 31 May 2014. The Commonwealth observer group that was present at the election said that ‘for the most part, voting was conducted in a peaceful, orderly and transparent manner’ and that ‘the polling environment was generally conducive to the free expression of will by the electorate’. In the concurrent parliamentary elections, 52 seats were secured by independents, 50 by the DPP, 48 by the MCP, 26 by the People’s Party and 14 by the UDF. 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 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 until 2014 there had been no local elections since 2000. In May of 2014 the first tripartite elections were held on the local, parliamentary and presidential levels. 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 the 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 people of Malawi that: ‘By the year 2020 Malawi, as a God-fearing nation, will be secure, democratically mature, environmentally sustainable and self-reliant, with equal opportunities for and active participation by all; having social services, vibrant cultural and religious values, and being a technologically driven middle-income economy.’ Governance institutions Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2014/15 190 Anti-Corruption Bureau: www.anti-corruptionbureau.mw Bureau of Standards: www.mbsmw.org Malawi Electoral Commission: www.mec.org.mw Malawi Stock Exchange: www.mse.co.mw Ministry of Finance: www.finance.gov.mw Ministry of Industry, Trade and Private-Sector Development: www.trade.gov.mw Parliament of Malawi: www.parliament.gov.mw Reserve Bank of Malawi: www.rbm.mw Revenue Authority: www.mra.mw
CEP template 2012
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