Presidential and parliamentary elections in Malawi, May 2009

On 19 May 2009, Malawi held its fourth multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections, which were hailed domestically and internationally as largely freend fair. As the presidential candidate of the newly formed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika was re-elected, and, for the first time in Malawi’s multiparty era, a single party won a majority of seats in parliament. Because the majority party is also the president’s party, Malawi’s fourth term of democracy will begin with another first: a united executive and legislature.