At stake in this election:

• 193 seats in the National Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Bakili MULUZI
• Head of Government: President Bakili MULUZI
• Assembly: Malawi has a unicameral National Assembly with 193 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the National Assembly 193 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: United Democratic Front (UDF)
  • Leader: Bakili MULUZI
  • Seats won in this election: 93
  • Seats won in last election: 86
• Party: Malawi Congress Party (MCP)
  • Leader: Gwanda CHAKUAMBA
  • Seats won in this election: 66
  • Seats won in last election: 55
• Party: Alliance for Democracy (AFORD)
  • Leader: Chakufwa CHIHANA
  • Seats won in this election: 29
  • Seats won in last election: 36
• Party: Independent Candidates
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 4
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Other parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• The last elections to the National Assembly were held on May 17, 1994.
  177 seats were decided on in the this election.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 10,882,543 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 5,071,822 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,488,379 (1999)

·         Is Malawi a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Malawi ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (12 March 1987)

·         Gender Quota: No, but there are political parties with voluntary gender quotas

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 16 (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 173 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Malawi a signatory to CRPD: Yes (27 September 2007)

·         Has Malawi ratified CRPD: Yes (27 August 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,632,381 (est.)