Malawi
Malawi is a low income country, exhibiting mid-range performance across all categories of the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework. It is amongst the top 25 per cent of countries in the world with regard to Effective Parliament, Freedom of Religion and Civil Society. Over the last five years, Malawi has experienced significant advances in Credible Elections and Civil Society, but a decline in Freedom of the Press. Malawi’s economy is heavily dependent upon agriculture, with tobacco its largest export. Low agricultural productivity, climate shocks, slow structural transformation and an unsustainable public debt mean that it is one of the world's poorest countries, with approximately 70 per cent of the Malawians living below the poverty line. Indeed, GSoD Indices data show that it is in the bottom 25 per cent of the world with regard to Basic Welfare and Economic Equality.
Prior to British colonization in the late 19th century, Malawi was shaped by a number of influences, including Islam and Christianity, British and Portuguese exploration, and the Indian Ocean slave trade. The country gained independence in 1964 and for thirty years was governed as a one-party state under Hastings Banda, whose highly repressive rule was marked by patronage, ethnic and regional antagonisms and a weak state that largely failed to deliver social and economic development. Personalist politics and a powerful presidency have remained a feature of Malawi’s politics since the introduction of multi-party elections in 1994 and three presidents have unconstitutionally sought to extend executive power during their terms. While several peaceful transfers of power have helped establish elections as the legitimate way of gaining political power, elections have not brought about significant democratization and have generated political tension, most notably following the contested 2019 presidential election results, when the country’s High Court ordered a re-run of the poll. The courts and civil society have been important bulwarks against authoritarianism in Malawi. Corruption is a major issue that has dogged successive administrations.
Political parties generally lack ideology but are instead heavily based on geography and ethnicity. Encouraged during the colonial period, ethnic distinctions endured after independence, often manifesting as regionalism. Malawi has ten major ethnic groups, and only 34 per cent of Malawians say they identify more with their national identity than with their ethnic identity. The sustained relevance of ethnic identity may be due in part to previous administrations’ favored treatment of certain ethnic groups. In fact, since the country has only been led by presidents from the central or southern regions, which is seen as more developed than the north, there have also been disputes regarding federalism. Malawi is also very religiously heterogeneous and is home to Protestants Catholics, and Muslims; the Muslim minority occasionally faces discrimination. Public policy is often shaped by the country’s religiosity and socially conservative political culture. In 2024, the Malawi Constitutional Court’s decided to uphold the country’s ban on same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults, as LGBTQIA+ people continue to face discrimination. In 2021, there was robust opposition to abortion, which forced the government to withdraw a plan to liberalize the procedure. Women and girls face a multitude of challenges, including gender-based violence and reduced economic opportunities.
Looking ahead, Credible Elections will be a key area of focus with general election scheduled for September 2025. Absence of Corruption will also be important to watch. The country has taken steps to accelerate its anti-corruption efforts by developing a new multi-stakeholder approach, although some commentators allege that these efforts have been tainted by political motivations, and Malawians remain pessimistic about the state of graft in the country.
Last updated: August 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
February 2024
Opposition party supporters attacked at parade
The level of violence between supporters of the two largest political parties increased in February. On 14 February, members of parliament from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cancelled a planned event at the parliament due to fears of a confrontation with supporters of the governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP). On 24 February, DPP supporters who had gathered for a parade in support of voter registration were attacked by a group armed with stones, axes, machetes, and other objects. At least 20 DPP supporters were seriously injured. The DPP blamed the MCP for the attack, but the MCP denied any involvement.
Sources: The Nation, The Times, Malawi Voice, Voice of America
December 2023
Police interfere with journalist after cost-of-living protests turn violent
Following the Reserve Bank of Malawi’s decision to devalue the national currency (kwacha) by 44 per cent, political activist Bon Kalindo led protests against the government’s economic policies in the towns of Zomba, Karonga, Blantyre and Mangochi in late November. The protests in Zomba and Mangochi turned violent, as some in the crowds threw stones at police and looted shops. Police interfered with the work of a journalist reporting on the protest in Mangochi, Raphael Mlozoa of the Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), as they seized his phone and deleted photographs he had taken of the police response to the protest. ZBS filed a complaint against the police for their interference with Mlozoa’s work. Kalindo was arrested twice in early December and charged separately for inciting violence in the two towns.
Sources: The Nation, Malawi24, Committee to Protect Journalists, CIVICUS
May 2023
Hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers forcefully moved to refugee camp
On 17 May, Malawi’s police and immigration authorities began forcefully removing refugees and asylum seekers living and working in the capital, Lilongwe, to the country’s Dzaleka refugee camp. It came a month after the expiration of a government-issued deadline for their voluntary relocation to the camp. The operation is reported to have involved the arrest and detention of hundreds of adults and children, some of whom claim to have been beaten by the authorities. According to Human Rights Watch, the removals amount to forced evictions, and as such are unlawful under international law. The operation aims to encamp the 8,000 refugees and asylum seekers estimated to be living outside of Dzaleka and the Minister of Homeland Security has stated that the removals will soon be extended beyond Lilongwe. The UN Refugee Agency warned that the removals will add further strain to the camp’s already overstretched capacity and would ‘have dire consequences on the provision of critical basic services.’
Sources: The Guardian, British Broadcasting Corporation, Human Rights Watch, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2)
High court declares school dreadlock ban unconstitutional
On 8 May, Malawi’s High Court delivered a judgement declaring that a government policy requiring all pupils in government schools to have trimmed hair was unconstitutional, because it violated the right of Rastafarian children to education, freedom of religion and not to be discriminated against on the grounds of religious affiliation. According to the court, the policy, which dated back to the era of one-party rule in the country (1964-1993), had barred the admission to government schools of ‘many Rastafarian children’, for whom the wearing of dreadlocks is an important manifestation of their religion. In its ruling, the court ordered that the policy be abolished, paving the way for the anticipated enrolment of approximately 1,200 Rastafarian children.
Sources: Malawi High Court Judgement, Southern African Litigation Centre, The Guardian, Africa News
December 2022
Director of counter-corruption office arrested amid political tensions
On 6 December, the Director-General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Martha Chizuma, was arrested by police in relation to an audio recording that was leaked in January 2022. The recording allegedly contains a conversation in which Chizuma discusses the efforts of certain churches, judges, lawyers, and government officials to impede her investigation of corruption cases. The President of Malawi has stated that he was not aware of the arrest and Chizuma was released on the same day. This arrest follows closely on the heels of the ACB's arrest of Vice President Saulos Chilima a few days prior, who is facing allegations of receiving bribes from a British businessman in exchange for government contracts. Thus, for many, this arrest is seen as a continuation of the ongoing tensions between President Chakwera and Vice President Chilima and their respective political parties.
Sources: Voice of America, Malawi24, Association for Catholic Information in Africa
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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023
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