Malawi’s shaky but landmark transition

Mutharika, brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika and former foreign minister, has since been sworn in.  His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) obtained 36 percent of the vote while former President Joyce Banda’s Peoples Party (PP) came third with about 20 percent.  Banda was vice president to the elder Mutharika, and took over upon […]

Mutharika, brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika and former foreign minister, has since been sworn in.  His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) obtained 36 percent of the vote while former President Joyce Banda’s Peoples Party (PP) came third with about 20 percent.  Banda was vice president to the elder Mutharika, and took over upon his death.
The election got off to a good start but when initial results trickling in were not in her favour, Mrs Banda claimed irregularities, citing ballot rigging and computer hacking, compounded by a breakdown in the electronic counting system. Her declaration that the election was null and void and ordering another round of election be held within 90 days failed to persuade the country’s judiciary. MEC challenged her in court, and obtained an injunction that forbade her from ordering a rerun.
Despite Banda’s misgivings about the election, international observers from the African Union, European Union and the Southern African Development Community said it was free and fair.
Banda’s failed attempt to annul the election was widely seen as a ploy to prevent Mutharika, her main challenger, from winning the election.  By the time the MEC had declared 30 percent of the results, Mutharika was leading by 42 percent.
Mrs Banda received international sympathy when she came to power in 2012, especially after a misguided plot by her cabinet colleagues to jettison constitutional provisions to prevent her from succeeding Bingu wa Mutharika. Mutharika had fallen out with Banda who was then the vice president and was ostracized and marginalized while the president’s brother Peter Mutharika who was then Malawian foreign minister was tipped as his successor.
The frosty relationship that Mutharika had with foreign donors was smoothed over when Banda took office, getting off to a good start with much needed goodwill from the international community. She committed herself to the fight against corruption, ordering that stalled prosecution of corruption crimes committed under previous regimes be resumed. She mended fences with Malawi’s estranged foreign donors, and aid flowed in.  She adopted economic austerity measures, selling off the presidential aircraft and auctioning government limousines in exchange for cheaper models with a view to cutting the high cost of governance. The measures endeared her to foreign donors but alienated large sections of the Malawian populace who were at the receiving end.
Faced with harsh economic conditions, Malawians were further alienated by a corruption scandal called Cashgate which many observers believed contributed to Banda losing the election. The scandal came to light when it was found that millions of dollars of public funds had been stolen by public servants. Missing government funds led to a delay in payment of salaries of public service workers. According to one estimate, about 30 percent of Malawi’s budget is stolen by civil servants in collusion with others.
The dire economic situation in Malawi was further compounded by the devaluation of the kwacha, the national currency. It resulted in spiralling costs of living. While Banda was well regarded by the international community, her popularity took a nosedive at home.
One of the least developed countries, landlocked Malawi depends largely on agriculture and foreign aid for its upkeep. It is estimated that 40 percent of its budget is foreign-funded, leaving Lilongwe dangerously exposed to the dictates of foreign donors.
President Peter Mutharika is no stranger to power; he should learn from the mistakes of his predecessors.  But fighting corruption should also be a top priority for him.
The MEC action demonstrates that electoral umpires can be truly independent and not be beholden to government and its officials. It is such independence, and the determination to exercise it, that makes for free and fair elections and for all the stakeholders to see them as such.