Malawi · Government
Government and administration in Malawi
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Head of state — President
- Directly elected for five years; a majority of votes cast is required.
- Executive — Cabinet
- Appointed by the President; ministers need not be members of Parliament.
- Legislature — National Assembly
- Unicameral; the constitution provides for a Senate that has never been established.
- Judiciary — Judicial Service Commission
- Advises on appointments; judges have security of tenure.
How legislation is made
Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum.
Enforcement institutions
- Director of Public Prosecutions
- Constitutionally independent prosecuting authority.
- Malawi Police Service
- Principal investigative and public-order agency.
- Anti-Corruption Bureau
- Statutory anti-corruption investigator; prosecutions need DPP consent.
- Malawi Human Rights Commission
- Constitutional body investigating rights violations.
Government bodies and regulators
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