What is the capital of Malawi?
Country Name | Malawi |
Full Country Name | Republic of Malawi |
Local - Long | Dziko la Malawi |
Local - Short | Malawi |
Former Name | British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
Etymology- history of name | named for the East African Maravi Kingdom of the 16th century; the word "maravi" means "fire flames" |
Government Type | presidential republic |
Capital Name | Lilongwe |
Capital - geographic coordinate | 13 58 S, 33 47 E |
Capital Time Difference | UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
Independence | 6 July 1964 (from the UK) |
National Holiday | Independence Day, 6 July (1964); note - also called Republic Day since 6 July 1966 |
Constitution |
history: previous 1953 (pre-independence), 1964, 1966; latest drafted January to May 1994, approved 16 May 1994, entered into force 18 May 1995 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, including the sovereignty and territory of the state, fundamental constitutional principles, human rights, voting rights, and the judiciary, requires majority approval in a referendum and majority approval by the Assembly; passage of other amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; amended several times, last in 2017 |
Who is the president of Malawi?
Executive Branch: |
chief of state: President Lazarus CHAKWERA (since 28 June 2020); Vice President Saulos CHILIMA (since 3 February 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lazarus CHAKWERA (since 28 June 2020); Vice President Saulos CHILIMA (since 3 February 2020) cabinet: Cabinet named by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 June 2020 (next to be held in 2025) election results: 2020: Lazarus CHAKWERA elected president; Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 59.3%, Peter Mutharika (DPP) 39.9%, other 0.8% 2014: Peter MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Peter MUTHARIKA (DPP) 36.4%, Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 27.8%, Joyce BANDA (PP) 20.2%, Atupele MULUZI (UDF) 13.7%, other 1.9% |
Citizenship Criteria: |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Malawi dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
Legal System: | mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal |
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
description: unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 21 May 2019 (next to be held in May 2024) election results: percent of vote by party - n/a; seats by party - DPP 62, MCP 55, UDF 10, PP 5, other 5, independent 55, vacant 1; composition - men 161, women 32, percent of women 16.6% |
Judicial Branch: |
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and at least 3 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; other judges appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, which regulates judicial officers; judges serve until age 65 subordinate courts: High Court; magistrate courts; Industrial Relations Court; district and city traditional or local courts |
Regions or States: | 28 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga, Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Neno, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba |
Political Parties and Leaders: |
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Peter MUTHARIKA] Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Lazarus CHAKWERA] People's Party or PP [Joyce BANDA] United Democratic Front or UDF United Transformation Movement or UTM [Saulos CHILIMA] |
International Law Organization Participation: | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
International Organization Participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Esme Jynet CHOMBO (since 19 April 2022) chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 721-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 721-0288 email address and website: info@malawiembassy-dc.org http://www.malawiembassy-dc.org/ |
Diplomatic Representation from US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador David YOUNG (since 5 May 2022) embassy: 16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3 mailing address: 2280 Lilongwe Place, Washington DC 20521-2280 telephone: [265] (0) 177-3166 FAX: [265] (0) 177-0471 email address and website: LilongweConsular@state.gov https://mw.usembassy.gov/ |