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VOTER APATHY in MALAWI: a CRITICAL APPRAISAL Blessings Chinsinga Phd NOVEMBER 2006

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VOTER APATHY in MALAWI: a CRITICAL APPRAISAL Blessings Chinsinga Phd NOVEMBER 2006 Centre for Multiparty Democracy - Malawi VOTER APATHY IN MALAWI: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL Blessings Chinsinga PhD Chancellor College Department of Political and Administrative Studies P.O Box 280 Zomba E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected] Phone: (265) 08 577 842 NOVEMBER 2006 Study funded by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................IV ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................ V EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................VI 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND............................................................. 1 1.1 SETTING THE CONTEXT........................................................................................ 1 1.2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 2 1.3 ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT........................................................................... 3 2. ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY IN PERSPECTIVE ..................................... 4 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 4 2.2 ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY ............................................................................. 4 2.3 FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS.................................................................................. 4 2.4 MANAGEMENT OF ELECTIONS.............................................................................. 5 2.5 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................ 6 3. ELECTORAL TRENDS IN MALAWI SINCE 1993............................................ 7 3.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 7 3.2 NATIONAL LEVEL ................................................................................................ 7 3.3 REGIONAL LEVEL ................................................................................................ 8 3.4 DISTRICT LEVEL ................................................................................................ 10 3.5 IMPLICATIONS OF THE ELECTORAL TRENDS....................................................... 11 4. CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF VOTER APATHY ............................... 12 4.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 12 4.2 VOTER APATHY IN PERSPECTIVE ....................................................................... 12 4.2.1 The Role MEC in Electoral Administration and Management................. 12 4.2.2 Failure of Successful Candidates to Deliver ............................................ 15 4.2.3 Intra and Inter-party Politics.................................................................... 18 4.2.4 The Legal Framework............................................................................... 20 4.3 VOTER TURNOUT: GENERAL VERSUS BY-ELECTIONS........................................ 21 4.4 CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 22 5. POTENTIAL STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH DECLINING VOTER TURNOUT....................................................................................................................... 23 5.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 23 5.2 FIGHTING VOTER APATHY................................................................................. 23 5.2.1 Restructuring and Revitalizing the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).. ................................................................................................................... 23 5.2.2 Political Party Reforms............................................................................. 24 5.2.3 Civic and Voter Education........................................................................ 25 5.2.4 Other Areas of Reform.............................................................................. 27 ii 6. CONCLUDING REMARKS ................................................................................. 28 REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 30 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to extend special thanks to Kizito Tenthani, the National Coordinator of the Institute of Multiparty Democracy (IMD) for facilitating this study. Thanks to the residents of Zingwangwa Township and Matindi Village for taking off time their busy schedules to participate in the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Last but not least thanks to Michael Jana for the assistance with data analysis and fieldwork. Any errors of interpretation of the data remain my sole responsibility. iv ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ADMARC Agricultural Development and Marketing Cooperation of Malawi AFORD Alliance for Democracy COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ESCOM Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi FGD Focus Group Discussion FTPT First Past The Post MACRA Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority MCP Malawi Congress Party MEC Malawi Electoral Commission MP Member of Parliament MTL Malawi Telcomms Limited NGO Non Governmental Organization NICE National Initiative for Civic Education PPEA Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Act PR Proportional Representation UDF United Democratic Front VAP Voting Age Population v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction The problem of voter apathy has steadily become a major issue of concern since the May 1994 founding democratic elections. While between May 1994 and June 1999, the worry about voter apathy largely pertained to by-elections, the trend has changed altogether following the November 2000 local government elections and the May 2004 general elections. From a record 93% voter turn out in the June 1999 general elections, voter turn out tumbled to 59% in May 2004. The voter turnout for the 2000 local government elections was as low as 14%. These recent trends are a cause of concern because voter turnout is one of the telling indicators of the democratic robustness of a country as it reflects the work of several processes that have occurred over a long period of time and at different levels of society. Consequently this study was commissioned for two main reasons: To systematically investigate the factors behind the increasing trends in voter apathy since the 2000 local government elections; and To propose remedial measures that would reverse the current worrisome trends in voter apathy in close consultation with the relevant stakeholders in the electoral process. Methodology The study was predominantly based on secondary sources. These included studies on elections in Malawi as well as from various countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The secondary sources further included government officially gazetted results. The secondary sources were complemented with fieldwork in Blantyre urban and rural using the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) technique. The FGDs were carried out with groups of 8-10 men, women and youth (boys and girls mixed). The rationale for the field work was to capture the perceptions of the voters about the electoral process as they would be key to unraveling the factors that have triggered widespread voter apathy as well as thinking about potential remedies. The study distinguished two forms of voter turnout. These are Voter Registration % (Vote/Reg%) and Voting Age Population (VAP%). Vote/Reg% refers to the percentage of voters that actually turnout on an election day to cast their ballots whereas VAP % refers to the percentage of voters who are eligible to vote, whether they registered or not. The analysis carried out in this study was based on the Vote/Reg% dimension of voter turn out for which data is readily available from the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC). Findings of the Study The increasing trends in voter apathy are attributed to the following factors, namely: 1) the role of the MEC in electoral administration and management; 2) failure of successful candidates to deliver; 3) intra and inter-party politics; and 3) the electoral legal framework. vi The role of the MEC in electoral administration and management Three different areas were identified in this regard. These include voter registration, handling electoral complaints and disputes and making dubious decisions as well as activities. Voter registration Insufficient voter registration materials at registration centres which often results in potential voters being turned away more than once. Allegations of partisanship in the distribution of materials for the voter registration exercise. Non-functional registration centres hence excluding potential voters from exercising their inalienable right. Timing of the registration period which coincides with the peak of the farming calendar. Low caliber and poorly motivated registration staff who do not know how to handle even very trivial issues by themselves. Handling of electoral complaints and disputes Unwillingness to follow up and take decisive actions on complaints brought to its attention. Failure to enforce impartial access to, and unbiased
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