1976 Malawian general election explained

Country:Malawi
Type:parliamentary
Election Date:24 May 1976
Previous Election:1971 Malawian general election
Previous Year:1971
Next Election:1978 Malawian general election
Next Year:1978
Seats For Election:All 85 seats in the National Assembly
Majority Seats:43
Image1:Dr HK Banda, first president of Malawi.jpg
Leader1:Hastings Banda
Party1:Malawi Congress Party
Last Election1:56
Seats1:70
Seat Change1: 14

General elections were due to be held in Malawi on 24 May 1976. They were the first to be held after President Hastings Banda became president for life in 1971.

Banda's Malawi Congress Party had been the only legally permitted party since 1966. Each of the 70 constituencies had a maximum of five candidates proposed by at least two registered voters and nominated by MCP committees. All prospective candidates had to declare their allegiance to Banda in order to stand. These candidates' names were then submitted to Banda, who personally vetted the prospective candidates before selecting a single candidate for each constituency. As a result, no voting took place on election day and all 70 candidates were returned unopposed.[1] [2]

Following the elections, Banda nominated another 15 members to the National Assembly.[3]

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20100125183929/http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/malonepartyrule.htm Malawi: Era of One Party Rule (1964-1992)
  2. Web site: Malawi Handbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 1971.
  3. http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/MALAWI_1976_E.PDF Malawi