At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Malawi

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 Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Bingu wa MUTHARIKA
  • Party: United Democratic Front (UDF)
• John TEMBO
  • Party: Malawi Congress Party (MCP)
• Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA
  • Party: Mgwirizano Coalition
• Brown MPINGANJIRA
  • Party: National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
• Justin MALEWEZI
  • Independent(s): N/A

Last Presidential election:

• Malawi had its last presidential election on June 15, 1999. In this election, Bakili MULUZI of the United Democratic Front (UDF) won the presidency with 51.4% of the votes while Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Alliance for Democracy

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 12,407,618 (2004)
• Registered Voters: 5,184,086 (2004)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 6,238,224 (2004)

·         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: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 27 (following the 2004 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: 1,861,142 (est.)