Malawi and Malawian News

Country Profile
Malawi officially the Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa,that was formerly known as Nyasaland.
The name Malawi comes from theMaravi, an old name of theNyanja people that inhabit the area. The country is also nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa" .
Malawi is divided into 28 Districts within 3 Regions .
Malawi is among the world's least-developed and most-densely populated countries. Around 85% of the population live in rural areas.
Capital                                 Lilongwe
Currency                              Kwacha
Official Language                 English;Chichewa
Population                            15 Million(2011 Estimate)



History
  
Central African Federation (CAF)
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as Central African Federation (CAF) was a semi-independent State in Southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprising the former Self-Governing Colony of  - Southern Rhodesia and the Britsh Protectorates of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
The federation officially ended on 31 December 1963 -
Northern Rhodesia gained independence led by Kenneth Kaunda from the UK as the New Nation of Zambia and
Nyasaland gained independence as the New Nation of Malawi led by Hastings Banda
Southern Rhodesia became known as Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe 

Malawi Independence from Britain
On July 06, 1964, Nyasaland gained full independence and was renamed Malawi. Upon gaining independence it became a Single Party(Malawi Congress Party) State under the Presidency of Hastings Kamuzu Banda(Feb 15, 1898 –  Nov 25, 1997) who remained President until 1994, when he was ousted from power.

 In 1971, Hastings Kamuzu Banda became President for Life of Malawi


First Multi Party Elections and Bakili Muluzi's Presidency
In 1994 the 1st Multi Party Elections were held in Malawi, and Bakili Muluzi(DOB March 17,1943) became President.He was the President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004 and was Chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) until 2009.

 Bakili Muluzi was the candidate of the opposition UDF in the May 1994 Presidential Election, the country's first multiparty election. He won the election with 47% of the vote, defeating Malawi's leader since independence,Hastings Kamuzu Banda.He was re-elected in June 1999 Presidential Election, taking 52.4% of the vote and defeating challenger Gwanda Chakuamba who was the leader of the opposition movement.
After serving two terms,Bakili Muluzi therefore handed over power to his successor after the May 2004 Presidential Election, in which UDF candidate Bingu wa Mutharika ( handpicked and groomed by Muluzi) was elected to succeed Bakili Muluzi as President of Malawi.

Politics and Government 
Malawi is a Presidential Representative Democratic Republic where the President is both Head of State and Head of Govt and of a Multi Party System.
The President is chosen through universal direct suffrage every 5 years.
President of Malawi

Joyce Hilda Banda is the current and 4th President of Malawi and its first female president(Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika on Thursday April 05,2012)



Parliament of Malawi

 

The National Assembly  has 193 members, elected for a five year term in single-seatconstituencies. The constitution also provides for a second house, a Senateof 80 seats, but to date no action has been taken to create the Senate.


Malawi President Reported Dead

Malawi's President, Bingu wa Mutharika(78) is reported to have collapsed and died from a heart attack on Thursday April 05,2012

Malawi Govt Confirms President Mutharika's Death

 

Malawi Govt. has confirmed the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, leaving the vice-president, Joyce Banda, to become southern Africa's first female head of state.The government declared a period of official mourning after delaying reports of Mutharika's death for two days.The delay in the announcement had raised worries about a political crisis because Banda had been expelled from Mutharika's ruling DPP party in 2010 and Mutharika, who ruled for eight years, appeared to have been grooming his brother Peter, the foreign minister, as his de facto successor.
Fears of a succession struggle receded as state institutions backed the constitutional handover to Joyce Banda.

Joyce Banda Sworn in as New President of Malawi

 

Women's Rights campaigner and country's vice-president succeeds late leader Bingu wa Mutharika becoming southern Africa's first female head of state and raising hopes for a fresh start in the small, poor nation after the death of her predecessor.

 

She succeeds him under the terms of the constitution.

Joyce Banda holds a ceremonial sword at her inauguration on Saturday April 07,2012 as Malawi's new president, becoming its first female leader

 Joyce Banda is expected to run the country until scheduled elections take place in 2014

 

Malawi Devalues Kwacha by 33%

The kwacha was devalued as part of moves by the new government to restore donor funding.The central bank announced that one dollar would now be worth 250 kwacha, up from 168.

In recent years, Malawi has run short of foreign currency after donors cut aid and demand fell for its main export, tobacco.

Malawi Parliament Approves to revert to original flag - May 28,2012

Malawi is to revert to its old national flag, a move approved by a parliamentary bill and representing the second change over the emblem in the space of two years.

The country's independence-era flag, first hoisted in 1964, was altered in 2010 by the government under the former president Bingu wa Mutharika.
The flag's image of a red rising sun was replaced with a full white sun to signify Malawi fulfilling its promise on development.

Flag from 2010 to 2012

Malawi's estimated 120,000 civil servants - including teachers and immigration officers - are on strike demanding wage increases to counter the rising cost of living.Workers complain that since the government devalued the local currency, the kwacha, by 49% in May, their incomes have been badly affected.

All airports in Malawi have been forced to shut down following a wage strike by civil servants.

Both domestic and international flights were cancelled.Passengers flying on South African Airways (SAA), Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines were stranded on Wednesday Feb 20,2013

The indefinite strike, affecting nearly all government departments, is the biggest since Joyce Banda became president in 2012


Trade unions are demanding a 65% wage increase, about double the inflation rate.

Finance Minister Ken Lipenga said on Thursday Feb 21,2013 that the government could not afford to increase wage costs

General Strike Ends - Thursday Feb 21,2013
Malawi Civil Service Trade Union(CSTU)and Malawian Govt agreed for a 61% pay-hike for the lowest paid public sector employees and a 5% pay-hike for the higher earners effective Jan 1,2013

CSTU President Elia Kamphinda Banda said that the Malawian Govt has offered to review civil servant's salary structure


Madonna Visits Malawi -Sunday March 31,2013
American pop star Madonna (2nd L) sits on April 2, 2013 with the two children she adopted in Malawi, David Banda (L) and Mercy James (3rd R), in a classroom of the Mkoko Primary School in the area of Santhe in Kasungu district, central Malawi, one of the schools her Raising Malawi organization has built jointly with another US organization BuildOn. Madonna, said to be the single largest international philanthropic donor to Malawi, also supports childcare in the country which is home to nearly a million children orphaned by AIDS. She arrived in Malawi on March 31 with the two children she adopted from the small landlocked African country.