Facilitators' Answers —
English
 
Subscribe to ACE Newsletter
These topic pages provide a quick overview and easy access to all content that can be found on ACE for any give topic of interest - weather encyclopaedia files, electoral materials, comparative data, consolidated replies, case studies, or other.

ELECTORAL FRAMEWORK

Legal Framework Boundary Delimitation Electoral Systems

ELECTORAL PARTICIPATION

Gender and Elections Parties and Candidates Disability and Elections Media and Elections Civic and Voter Education Direct Democracy

ELECTORAL MANAGEMENT

Electoral Management Cost of Elections

ELECTORAL INTEGRITY

Electoral Integrity Campaign Finance Measuring Electoral Quality Election Observation Electoral Assistance

ELECTORAL OPERATIONS

Voter Registration Voting Operations Voter Identification Results Management Out of Country Voting Elections and Technology Elections and Security
Countries
Encyclopaedia Electoral Materials Comparative Data Election Calendar Observation Portal BRIDGE Extended Learning Latest Updates
Ask the Experts Consolidated Replies Find An Expert Access ACE Practitioners' Workspace
About ACE The History of ACE Contact ACE ACE Partners Practitioners' Network FAQ
Document Actions

Electoral Systems

Malawi Malawi

ES001

Head of State
Question:How is the Head of State selected?
Answer(s): a. Head of State is the Head of Government
c. Directly elected in general elections (absolute majority with 2nd round if necessary)
Comments: The President is both the Head of State and Government. The President shall be elected by a majority of more than fifty percent of the valid votes cast through direct, universal and equal suffrage and,where such majority is not obtained by any candidate in the first poll, a second poll shall be held within sixty days after the declaration of the result in which the candidates who obtained the highest votes cast in the first poll shall be the only candidates.
Source: Constitution: Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, art. 78 & 80.
Verified: 2025/04/14
(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)
ES002

Head of Government
Question:How is the Head of Government selected?
Answer: b. Directly elected in general elections, absolute majority (with 2nd round if necessary)
Comments: The President is both the Head of State and Government. The President shall be elected by a majority of more than fifty percent of the valid votes cast through direct, universal and equal suffrage and,where such majority is not obtained by any candidate in the first poll, a second poll shall be held within sixty days after the declaration of the result in which the candidates who obtained the highest votes cast in the first poll shall be the only candidates.
Source: Constitution: Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, art. 78 & 80
Verified: 2025/04/14
(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)
ES003

President
Question:Does the country have a president?
Answer: a. Yes
Comments: The President who is both Head of State and Government is restricted to two five year terms.
Source: Constitution: Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, art. 78 and 83 (1).
Verified: 2025/04/14
(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)
ES004

Number of Chambers
Question:The national legislature consists of (one/two chambers):
Answer: a. One chamber
Comments: Legislative Power is vested in a parliament consisting of the President and the National Assembly. The National Assembly consists of 229 members representing constituencies, directly elected by universal adult suffrage. The term of the Assembly is five years.
Source: Constitution: Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, art. 49 & 62.
Verified: 2025/04/14
(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)
ES005

Electoral System (Chamber 1)
Question:What is the electoral system for Chamber 1 of the national legislature?
Answer(s): a. Plurality (FPTP)
Comments:
Source: Constitution: Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, art. 62 International IDEA: Table of Electoral Systems Worldwide (http://www.idea.int/esd/world.cfm)
Verified: 2025/04/14
(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)
The data on this page is continuously updated. Additional, but potentially outdated material is available here.