The Government of Malawi - CountryInfoPedia

Malawi - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Malawi, it was named for the East African Maravi Kingdom of the 16th century; the word "maravi" means "fire flames". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 28 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga, Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Neno, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

National symbols

Lion; national colors: black, red, green.

The flag

The National flag of Malawi has three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered on the black band; black represents the native peoples, red the blood shed in their struggle for freedom, and green the color of nature; the rising sun represents the hope of freedom for the continent of Africa.

The National Anthem

Title	"Mulungu dalitsa Malawi" (Oh God Bless Our Land of Malawi)
Lyric/music	Michael-Fredrick Paul SAUKA

note: adopted 1964

More about the government of Malawi

Constitution
Date of Independence	6 July 1964 (from the UK)
National holiday	Independence Day, 6 July (1964); note - also called Republic Day since 6 July 1966
Legal system	mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Previous 1953 (pre-independence), 1964, 1966; latest drafted January to May 1994, approved 16 May 1994, entered into force 18 May 1995
Amendments	Proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, including the sovereignty and territory of the state, fundamental constitutional principles, human rights, voting rights, and the judiciary, requires majority approval in a referendum and majority approval by the Assembly; passage of other amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; amended several times, last in 2017
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Malawi
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	7 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Lazarus CHAKWERA (since 28 June 2020)
Head of government	President Lazarus CHAKWERA (since 28 June 2020)
Cabinet	Cabinet named by the president
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 June 2020 (next to be held in 2025) note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Election results	2020: Lazarus CHAKWERA elected president; Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 59.3%, Peter Mutharika (DPP) 39.9%, other 0.8% 2014: Peter MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Peter MUTHARIKA (DPP) 36.4%, Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 27.8%, Joyce BANDA (PP) 20.2%, Atupele MULUZI (UDF) 13.7%, other 1.9%
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections	Last held on 21 May 2019 (next to be held in May 2025)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - DPP 26%, MCP 22.3%, UTM 9.9%, UDF 4.6%, PP 2.4%, ADF 0.5%, independent 33.4%; seats by party - DPP 62, MCP 56, UDF 10, UTM 4, PP 5, ADF 1, independent 55; composition - men 153, women 40, percentage women 20.7%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and at least 3 judges)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; other judges appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, which regulates judicial officers; judges serve until age 65
Subordinate courts	High Court; magistrate courts; Industrial Relations Court; district and city traditional or local courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Esme Jynet CHOMBO (since 19 April 2022)
Chancery	2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 451- 0409
Email address and website	malawidc@aol.com Home \| Malawi Embassy USA
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador David YOUNG (since 5 May 2022)
Embassy	16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3
Mailing address	2280 Lilongwe Place, Washington DC 20521-2280
Telephone	[265] (0) 177-3166
FAX	[265] (0) 177-0471
Email address and website	LilongweConsular@state.gov https://mw.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Lake Malawi National Park (n); Chongoni Rock-Art Area (c)