Crisis Chronology

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MALAWI

11/17/2023

President Chakwera bans himself and his cabinet from traveling abroad the cut spending during Malawi’s current economic crisis. The IMF recently approved a $175 million loan to the country.

01/24/2022

President Chakwera dismisses his entire cabinet. Three former ministers now face charges of corruption.

11/26/2021

Police break up large protests in Lilongwe about the rising costs of living and state corruption. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world.

06/23/2020

Chakwera elected president

New election voting for president. Chakwera defeats Mutharika with 59% of the vote.

05/08/2020

Supreme Court affirms lower court ruling that annulled 2019 elections. A new election is scheduled for 7/2.

05/06/2020

Opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera announces his candidacy for president for the 7/2 election, which will be held despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

04/18/2020

Court imposes a stay on the stay-at-home order in a suit that says the order will create hardships and hunger. Protestors have asked that the government provide food and money during the stay-at-home period.

04/15/2020

Malawi issues 21-day stay-at-home order.

04/02/2020

Malawi confirms first case of COVID-19.

03/27/2020

Chilima files complaint against Mutharika for failing to enact new election laws to improve voting after 2019 annulled election.

03/24/2020

Election commission sets 7/2 for the new presidential election.

03/19/2020

Seven opposition groups form a coalition to oppose Mutharika, led by two main opposition figures, Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Saulos Chilima of the United Transformation Movement, (UTM).

03/17/2020

Mutharika rejects election reform bill passed by parliament in February

03/13/2020

Mutharika dissolves cabinet and assumes all powers.

03/10/2020

Police tear gas protestors. The head of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition turns himself in to police in response to an arrest warrant.

02/25/2020

Ruling Democratic Progressive Party forms coalition with the United Democratic Front.

02/24/2020

Election commission sets 5/19 as new election date. Parliament amends the election law to provide for a runoff election within thirty days if no candidate receives a majority. Mutharika has twenty-one days to approve the measure.

02/12/2020

Constitutional Court rejects Mutharika’s appeal.

02/05/2020

Mutharika says he will appeal the Constitutional Court’s decision.

02/03/2020

Election nullified

Constitutional Court nullifies election results because of “widespread” irregularities and orders a new election within 150 days. The former government returns, meaning that Mutharika remains president and Chilima vice-president.

08/08/2019

Court begins consideration of opposition petition to overturn election results.

08/06/2019

Court dismisses government suit to ban post-election protests.

06/21/2019

Violence during protests against election and demanding that the head of the election commission resign in several cities across the country.

06/07/2019

Police teargas protestors demanding Mutharika’s resignation.

06/07/2019

Police teargas protestors demanding Mutharika’s resignation.

05/27/2019

Mutharika is re-elected

Mutharika is declared the winner of the presidency with about 39% of the vote.

05/17/2019

Election in a week. Mutharika is leading in the polls, but Pastor Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the United Transformation Movement’s Saulosi Chilema, former minister who broke with Mutharika, are running strongly. Only a plurality of the votes is needed to win, so there will be no runoff. There are already competing claims of fraud and vote-rigging.

04/08/2019

Mutharika begins re-election campaign. There have been several cases of corruption and nepotism in his government and food shortages, power outages, and external debt have encouraged the opposition. He is opposed by Vice President Chilima, Lazarus Chakwera, leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), and health minister Atupele Muluzi, head of the United Democratic Front, which his father founded.

03/18/2019

Cyclone Idai causes widespread death and destruction in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

03/14/2019

Banda quits presidential race. She endorses Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party.

12/08/2018

New law comes into effect that bans cash payments and gifts to buy votes. The elections will be in 5/19. Candidates, including Joyce Banda of the Peoples Party and Vice-President Saulos Chilima of the United Transformation Movement, who has broken with Pres Mutharika, welcome the law.

09/21/2018

A coalition called Human Rights Defenders organizes protests against corruption around the country.

08/30/2018

People’s Party nominates Joyce Banda as presidential candidate for Malawi election in 5/19.

07/03/2018

Malawi media reports that the Anti-corruption Bureau is investigating corruption that benefited Pres Mutharika personally.

06/07/2018

Vice-president Saulos Chilima quits the DPP, criticizing President Mutharika for corruption. There are also rumors that previous president Joyce Banda would run for president.

06/04/2018

People’s Party endorses Joyce Banda for president without a party congress. Banda has not said she is running.