Editing Malawi (section)

=== Hastings Kamuzu Banda era (1961–1993) ===
[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-165-9.jpg|thumb|Malawi's first Prime Minister and later the first [[President of Malawi|President]], [[Hastings Banda]] ''(left)'', with Tanzania's President [[Julius Nyerere]] ''(right)'']]
In 1961, Banda's [[Malawi Congress Party]] (MCP) gained a majority in the [[Nyasaland general election, 1961|Legislative Council elections]], and Banda became [[Prime Minister of Malawi|Prime Minister]] in 1963. The Federation was dissolved in 1963, and on 6 July 1964, Nyasaland became independent from British rule and renamed itself Malawi, and that is commemorated as the nation's Independence Day, a [[Public holidays in Malawi|public holiday]].<ref>{{cite web|title=48. Malawi (1964–present)|url=https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/sub-saharan-africa-region/malawi-1964-present/|access-date=4 July 2020|website=Political Science|publisher=University of Central Arkansas}}</ref> Under a new constitution, Malawi became a republic with Banda as its first president. The new document also formally made Malawi a [[one-party state]] with the MCP as the only legal party.

In 1971, Banda was declared [[president-for-life]]. For almost 30 years, Banda presided over a rigidly [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] regime, which ensured that Malawi did not suffer armed conflict.<ref name="Cutter143">Cutter, ''Africa 2006'',
p. 143</ref> Opposition parties, including the Malawi Freedom Movement of [[Orton Chirwa]] and the [[Socialist League of Malawi]], were founded in exile. Malawi's economy, while Banda was president, was often cited as an example of how a poor, landlocked, and heavily populated country deficient in mineral resources could achieve progress in both agriculture and industrial development.<ref>Meredith, ''The Fate of Africa'', p. 285</ref>