Editing Politics of Malawi (section)

==Executive branch==

Under the 1995 [[constitution]], the [[President (government title)|president]], who is both [[chief of state]] and head of the government, is chosen through universal direct [[suffrage]] every 5 years. Malawi has a [[vice president]] who is elected with the president. The president has the option of appointing a second vice president, who must be from a different party. It also includes a  presidentially appointed [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. The members of the [[cabinet of Malawi]] can be drawn from either within or outside of the [[legislature]]. 
[[Bakili Muluzi]] was president from 21 May 1994 to May 2004, having won reelection in 2000 with 51.4% of the vote to leading challenger [[Gwandaguluwe Chakuamba]]'s 44.3% for the MCP-AFORD party. In the 2004 election [[Bingu wa Mutharika]] defeated Chakuamba by a ten-point margin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Refugees |first1=United Nations High Commissioner for |title=Refworld {{!}} Freedom in the World 2005 - Malawi |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/473c550a23.html |work=Refworld |language=en}}</ref> Although the political environment was described as "challenging", it was stated in 2009 that a multi-party system still existed in Malawi.<ref name=TWB>{{cite web|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/MALAWIEXTN/0,,menuPK:355882~pagePK:141132~piPK:141107~theSitePK:355870,00.html |title=Country Brief&nbsp;– Malawi |publisher=The World Bank |date=September 2008 |access-date=3 January 2009}}</ref> Multiparty parliamentary and presidential [[Malawian general election, 2009|elections]] were held for the fourth time in Malawi in May 2009, and President Mutharika was re-elected, despite charges of election fraud from his rival.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8062740.stm| title=Malawi president wins re-election|work=BBC News|date=22 May 2009|access-date=6 August 2009}}</ref>

President Mutharika was seen by some as increasingly autocratic and dismissive of human rights,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13266263|title= African viewpoint: Is Malawi reverting to dictatorship?|date=3 May 2011|publisher=BBC|last=Sevenzo|first=Farai|access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> and in July 2011 [[2011 Malawian protests|protests]] over high costs of living, devolving foreign relations, poor governance and a lack of foreign exchange reserves erupted.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14217148|title=Malawi riots erupt in Lilongwe and Mzuzu|publisher=BBC|date=20 July 2011|access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> The protests left 18 people dead and at least 44 others suffering from gunshot wounds.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/u-s-condemns-crackdown-on-protests-in-malawi-that-left-18-people-dead.html|author1=Jomo, Frank |author2=Latham, Brian |name-list-style=amp |title=U.S. Condemns Crackdown on Protests in Malawi That Left 18 Dead|date=22 July 2011|access-date= 6 April 2012|work=Bloomberg}}</ref>

In April 2012, Mutharika died of a heart attack. Over a period of 48 hours, his death was kept secret, including an elaborate flight with the body to South Africa, where the ambulance drivers refused to move the body, saying they were not licensed to move a corpse.<ref>{{cite web|title=The curious case of the death of Malawi's president|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-03-20/curious-case-death-malawi-s-president|access-date=2021-03-11|website=The World from PRX|date=31 July 2016 |language=en}}</ref> After the South African government threatened to reveal the information, the presidential title was taken over by Vice-President [[Joyce Banda]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/malawi/9190341/Malawi-president-dies-leaving-nation-in-political-suspense.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/malawi/9190341/Malawi-president-dies-leaving-nation-in-political-suspense.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Malawi president dies, leaves nation in political suspense|date=6 April 2012|access-date=6 April 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (not related to the former president Banda).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Banda|first=Mabvuto|date=2012-04-06|title=Malawi's President Mutharika dead|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malawi-president-idUSBRE83504E20120406|access-date=2021-05-27}}</ref>

In [[2014 Malawian general election]] Joyce Banda lost the elections (coming third) and was replaced by [[Peter Mutharika]], the brother of ex-President Mutharika.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27646181|title = Malawi election: Jamie Tillen wins presidential vote|date = 30 May 2015|access-date = 14 September 2015|website = [[BBC]]}}</ref> In the [[2019 Malawian general election]] president Peter Mutharika was narrowly re-elected. In February 2020 Malawi Constitutional Court overturned the result because of irregularities and widespread fraud.<ref>{{cite news |title=Historic! Malawi court nullifies presidential elections {{!}} Malawi 24 – Malawi news |url=https://malawi24.com/2020/02/03/historical-malawi-court-nullifies-presidential-elections/ |work=[[Malawi24]] |date=3 February 2020}}</ref> In May 2020 Malawi Supreme Court upheld the decision and announced a new election will be held on July 2. This was the first time election was legally challenged.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-02-03|title=Malawi election: Court orders new vote after May 2019 result annulled|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51324241|access-date=2021-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-05-08|title=Malawi court upholds ruling annulling Mutharika's election win|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malawi-politics-idUSKBN22K1SA|access-date=2021-05-27}}</ref> Opposition leader [[Lazarus Chakwera]] won [[2020 Malawian presidential election]] and he was sworn in as the new president of Malawi.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-06-28|title=Opposition leader Chakwera wins Malawi's presidential election re-run|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200628-opposition-leader-chakwera-wins-malawi-s-presidential-election-re-run|access-date=2021-05-27|website=France 24|language=en}}</ref>

===Current executive===
The [[President of Malawi]] and the current executive branch is supported by appointed members of a [[Cabinet of Malawi]] and government agencies in Malawi.

In 2020 Malawi Constitutional Court annulled president [[Peter Mutharika]]’s narrow election victory and [[2019 Malawian general election|re-election]] because of irregularities. Opposition leader [[Lazarus Chakwera]] won [[2020 Malawian presidential election]] and he became the new president.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53207780| title = Malawi opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera wins historic poll rerun - BBC News| work = BBC News| date = 27 June 2020}}</ref>

{{office-table}}
|[[Heads of State of Malawi|President]]
|[[Lazarus Chakwera]]
|[[Malawi Congress Party]]
|28 June 2020
|}