1994 Malawian general election
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Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||
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All 177 seats in the National Assembly 89 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. |
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General elections were held in Malawi on 17 May 1994 to elect the President and National Assembly. They were the first multi-party elections in the country since prior to independence in 1964, and the first since the restoration of multi-party democracy the previous year. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which had governed the country since independence (from 1966 to 1993 as the sole legal party), was decisively beaten by the United Democratic Front (UDF). Former President-for-life Hastings Banda, in power since independence, was defeated in by the UDF's Bakili Muluzi, who took 47 percent of the vote to Banda's 33 percent.[1]
At a reputed age of 96, Banda would have been the oldest elected president in world history had he won. He was one of the oldest persons running for that office in history.
Campaign
The National Assembly elections were contested by eight parties, who put forward a total of 600 candidates, as well as 13 independents. The UDF won 88 seats, three short of a majority, whilst the MCP finished second with 56 seats. Results in two seats, both won by Banda's MCP, were annulled due to irregularities.[1] Voter turnout was 79.6%.[2]
Results
President
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bakili Muluzi | United Democratic Front | 1,404,754 | 47.15 | |
Hastings Banda | Malawi Congress Party | 996,353 | 33.44 | |
Chakufwa Chihana | Alliance for Democracy | 562,862 | 18.89 | |
Kamlepo Kalua | Malawi Democratic Party | 15,624 | 0.52 | |
Total | 2,979,593 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 2,979,593 | 97.97 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 61,780 | 2.03 | ||
Total votes | 3,041,373 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 3,775,256 | 80.56 | ||
Source: African Elections Database |
National Assembly
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Democratic Front | 1,360,432 | 46.38 | 85 | New | |
Malawi Congress Party | 988,172 | 33.69 | 56 | –85 | |
Alliance for Democracy | 556,457 | 18.97 | 36 | New | |
United Front for Multiparty Democracy | 9,721 | 0.33 | 0 | New | |
Malawi Democratic Party | 6,980 | 0.24 | 0 | New | |
Malawi National Democratic Party | 2,913 | 0.10 | 0 | New | |
Congress for the Second Republic | 2,118 | 0.07 | 0 | New | |
Malawi Democratic Union | 323 | 0.01 | 0 | New | |
Independents | 6,159 | 0.21 | 0 | New | |
Total | 2,933,275 | 100.00 | 177 | +26 | |
Valid votes | 2,933,275 | 97.58 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 72,731 | 2.42 | |||
Total votes | 3,006,006 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 3,775,256 | 79.62 | |||
Source: MEC |
Aftermath
Following the elections, on 25 May Muluzi formed a 25-member cabinet, including members of the Malawi National Democratic Party and the United Front for Multiparty Democracy. He left three posts unfilled in the hope that the Alliance for Democracy would also join the government.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Malawi: Parliamentary Chamber: National Assembly: Elections held in 1994 Inter-Parliamentary Union
- ^ Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p558 ISBN 0-19-829645-2