Malawi

The 2019 Tripartite Elections in Malawi marked only the second time in Africa’s history that a country's election results were overturned by a Constitutional Court due to widespread and systematic irregularities. This historic decision was lauded as electoral justice well served, and in June 2020, the country held fresh elections, resulting in an opposition victory. This marked the first handover of power since 1994, when multiparty elections were first introduced. This peaceful transition left many Malawians optimistic about the country's democratic future.

In 2025, Malawians will return to the polls for the seventh Tripartite Elections. While the 2020 elections were accepted as credible, many still harbor concerns about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process. Additionally, the country faces significant economic challenges, including rising living costs, escalating public debt, and unresolved corruption scandals. Political polarization continues to deepen, and intra-party divisions, along with growing political violence ahead of the elections, represent substantial threats to the integrity of the electoral process. These factors raise concerns about voter turnout and satisfaction, which could undermine the legitimacy of the election results.

As part of the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), through the Strengthening Electoral Integrity Project (SEIP) funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), IFES is providing training to civil society organizations (CSOs) in areas such as campaign finance, abuse of state resources, electoral dispute resolution (EDR), and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). IFES is also seeking to boost voter awareness and participation through collaboration with CSOs on innovative and inclusive civic and voter education. Ultimately, SEIP aims to reinforce democratic values throughout Malawi.

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News and Updates Feature

Celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities This year's theme is "Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World." December 3, 2020

Elections in Malawi: 2020 Fresh Presidential Election Malawians voted in presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in May 2019. Malawi is now expected to hold a rerun presidential election on Tuesday, June 23. June 18, 2020

Elections in Malawi: 2019 General Elections On May 21, Malawian citizens went to the polls for general elections. This was only the second time that Malawi conducted presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on the same day. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently Asked Questions on Elections in Malawi: 2019 Presidential Election. May 17, 2019

News and Updates Press Release Training Helps Journalists Expose Corruption in Malawi The United States Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) initiative recently concluded training for more than 30 Malawian journalists on investigative and corruption reporting. December 19, 2006

Publication Report/Paper State of the Judiciary: Malawi 2003 This State of the Judiciary Report for Malawi was written by Edge Kanyongolo, J.D., L.L.M., Ph.D., a Malawian law professor with broad expertise in constitutional law, media law and human rights. Edge Kanyongolo has served as facilitator and presenter in many symposia, workshops and conferences on constitutional issues, human rights and civil liberties in Malawi and other African countries. He has worked as a consultant for UN agencies, bilateral donors, non-governmental organizations and others and has participated in the development and implementation of various development and Rule of Law programs in Malawi. This State of the Judiciary Report for Malawi was edited by Keith Henderson, IFES Senior Rule of Law Advisor, and Violaine Autheman, IFES Rule of Law Advisor, who are the authors of the Executive Summary and of Chapter 1 of this Report. They are also responsible for the analytical conclusions in the tables which attempt to evaluate the level of compliance with the Judicial Integrity Principles, included in the Executive Summary and in Annex 2. March 31, 2004

Publication Report/Paper IFES Election Report: Malawi An Overview of the 1999 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, July 30, 1999

This IFES Election Report was conducted in July 1999 in Malawi. The report discusses the role IFES played in facilitating the election, the legal and constitutional issues, management of the elections and election day set-up/observations.

July 29, 1999