In 100 days of presidency, Lazarus Chakwera has been mostly well received despite a few glitches
Sixteen bullets and 27 operations later, Tanzania’s main opposition leader has recovered from a brutal assassination attempt – and is now in the middle of an even bigger fight
Having missed the chance to form a coalition, a so-called ‘endorsement’ may be the next-best step
The president is trying to amend the Constitution and create a new voters’ roll in a bid to stay in power
Four former heads of state speak about what being president is actually like
In this extract from Mark Gevisser’s new book, Aunty, fleeing abuse and witchcraft, treks to northern Malawi
It took more than just a united front to unseat the governing party in the recent presidential elections in Malawi
A study shows that the social messaging platform is both emancipatory and destructive, particularly during election campaigns
Lazarus Chakwera’s post-election honeymoon did not last long
The historical record shows that Malawi’s difficulties under Hastings Banda were evident at the very moment of the country’s founding
The new president leads a party which was at the forefront of the country’s fight for independence from Britain and went on to rule during the 27-year dictatorship of Hastings Banda
The opposition presidential candidate won the vote by 20 percentage points, after last year’s poll was overturned because of irregularities
Tired of being arrested and beaten up at protests, young activists tried something different and it worked
The presidential election is a rerun of last year’s Mvote, which was overturned by the top court
Polls suggest widespread dissatisfaction with the administration of President Peter Mutharika
The methods that work in Western nations rarely translate into African contexts
COMMENT As the department of basic education struggles with when and how to reopen schools, we must remember that most of the world is equally at a loss. Almost all children in almost every country will have been directly affected by school closures. We can learn from other countries’ decisions in navigating this crisis, as […]
Reiterating an already historical court ruling, the president’s election has once again been rebuffed
Professor Thandika Mkandawire, the Malawian economist, passed away in late March. Influential African intellectuals, as well as his many admirers and academics the world over, are still distilling the disappearance of one of the most prolific and creative minds they have ever come across. The disheartening news hit me while under confinement in Cape Town, […]
Civil-military relations across the continent are tenuous, at best. Covid-19 may have given African governments an opportunity to create a new social compact with their citizens
Trust in Peter Mutharika’s government is at an all time low — just when it’s needed most
Both authoritarian and democratic governments are responding to the coronavirus crisis by instituting frightening new powers
The electoral commission’s decision to appoint expensive foreign advocates has been widely criticised
Thandika Mkandawire, who died in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 27 after a battle with cancer, was a renowned development economist, an institution builder and a pan-Africanist
A statement from the presidency said popular army commander General Vincent Nundwe, alongside his deputy Clement Namangale, had been replaced
Recent judgments in Kenya and Malawi are encouraging. But democratic reform is impossible unless presidents and electoral commissions play their part
Politicians are paying more attention to the upcoming election than to Covid-19
Women in Africa should not be viewed as having ‘special negotiating skills’. Instead, we should motivate for more women in leadership positions because of their equality as citizens
Only by demonstrating that it would perform better in office while building trust within the wider population can the opposition force improvements in the electoral system while also growing the party
The government, business, labour and civil society must work together to link potential employees to productive and decent jobs
By pushing their usually valid complaints onto the streets and the courts, opposition leaders deny governments the popular goodwill and international credibility they need to govern effectively
Global cooperation is essential if climate action is to be effective, amid the right-wing onslaught against multilateralism