Political parties in Malawi: An accountability analysis

It has been observed that the dawn of multiparty politics that occurred in the 1990s in sub-Saharan Africa has led to the emergence of dominant political parties (Van de Walle 2003; Bogaards 2004). In some countries, multiparty elections did not bring about a change in government as former ruling parties continued to cling to power. In countries where change did occur, the new incumbents proceeded to stay in power, thereby extending the relevance of the one-party dominant model. The case of Malawi is markedly different from this prevalent scenario. In 1994, the winds of change ushered in a new government under a new party, the United Democratic Front (UDF). However, since coming to power, the UDF has been reduced to a small entity. Instead of consolidating its political position, it was relegated to the position of third largest party in the 2009 parliamentary elections.

Related Subject(s): Democracy and Governance

Countries: Malawi