COMMISSIONS' STATEMENT

Representatives of Political Parties;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
International and Local Observers;
Members of the Civil Society;
Members of the Press;
Fellow Commissioners;
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

It is with great pleasure that, in compliance with Section 96 of the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act of 1993, I would like on behalf of the Electoral Commission to officially announce the results of the second Multiparty Elections that were held on the 15th and 16th of June, 1999. But before I announce the results, allow me to make a few remarks.

1.1 Peaceful Elections

On behalf of the Commission., I would like to commend all Malawians for the manner in which they conducted themselves during the Elections. Delegates assembled here will agree with me that in many countries, polling days are associated with violence and disorder. This was not the case in our country, and Malawians have done themselves and their country proud for having very peaceful elections.
In a multiparty democracy, we need to tolerate and accommodate views that differ from ours and thereby live happily together. Our young democracy will be accordingly nurtured and sustained election, the Electoral Commission gave attention to all contestants equally and attended to their needs without fear and favour. This is the spirit that guided the electoral Commission in the entire electoral process. And the Commission has no doubt that the 1999 parliamentary and Presidential Elections in Malawi were free and fair.

 2 THE RESULTS

It is now my pleasure to announce the official results of the 1999 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections as follows:-

2.1 Summary of Overall National Votes

Registration

A total of 5,071,822 people were registered to vote in the 1999 General Elections as follows:-
 

• 678,906 in the North
• 1,975,203 in the Centre
• 2,417,713 in the South

Voter Turn-Out

Out of 5,071,822 registered voters, 4,751,827 voted in the Presidential Poll or 93.69%. For the Parliamentary Poll, 4,622,454 voted, representing 91.14%.

Null and Void Votes

Out of a total of 4,751,827 votes cast in the presidentail poll 91,671 or 1.93% votes were declared null and void. In the parliamentary, out of 4,680,262 total votes cast, 192324 or 4.11% were null and void.

2.2 Results of the Presidential Poll

Only summary results are presented, detailed results will be provided later.Five candidates competed in the Presidential Elections and the results are as follows:-
 

1. Dr. Bakili Muluzi [(United Democratic Front UDF)] 2,442,685 votes, representing 51.37% of total votes cast.
2. Mr. Gwanda Chakuamba [(Malawi Congress Party) (MCP)] 2,106,790 votes, representing 44.30% of total votes cast.
3. Mr. Kamlepo Kalua '[Malawi Democratic Party (MDP)] 67,856 votes, representing 1.43% of total votes cast.
4. Bishop Daniel Kamfose Nkhumbwe [Congress for National Unity (CONU)l 24,347 votes, representing 0. 5 1% of total votes cast.
5. Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika [United Party (UP)] 22,073 votes, representing 0.46% of total votes cast.

2.3 Parliamentary Elections

Only summary results. are presented, detailed results will be provided later.There were 652 Candidates who contested in the 193 constituencies: 593 males and 59 females.The results of the Parliamentary Polls, according to Party and Independents, are as follows:-
 

• UDF 93 seats
• MCP 66 seats
• AFORD 29 seats
• Independent Candidates 4 seats

It is encouraging to note that in the elections, out of a total of 59 women who were nominatedl 16 have successfully made it to Parliament. This represents 8.29% of the 193 Members of Parliament.The candidates who have won parliamentary seats in the 1999 elections for each constituency are as follows:- [Parliamentary Results in Detail]

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

3.1 Role Played by Donors

I would like to express my profound gratitude and that of all Malawians to the donor community for the role they played during the whole electoral process. In particular, I would like to thank the following :

• the European Union who funded the leasing and purchasing of cameras and accessories
• The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), who provided technical support, printed various forms and, together with the German Government, funded the Organisation and operation of the Tally Centre.
• The Canadian Government (CIDA), who funded the purchase of registration and polling kits.
• The Danish Government who provided the ballot boxes.
• The GTZ, who funded construction of polling booths, various workshops and this Tally Centre.
• The British Government, who funded printing of the ballot papers.
• The Japanese Government, who funded part of the transport costs.
• UNDP and many other donors, who funded procurement of various items and services through the UNDP Trust Fund.
• The Malawi Government, who funded the salaries and allowances for all the personnel involved in the registration as well as polling exercise. Apart from funding the personnel costs, the Government was forced to meet unforeseen costs which came about due to shortages in some materials, extensions in the registration process as well as the changes in the polling date
• The commonwealth secretariat who rendered technical assistance.

I would like to thank the Non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) that were accredited by the Commission to conduct Civic Education throughout the country. We realise and acknowledge that some NGOs played a very critical role during the process in providing Civic Education to the electorate. Maybe one way of assessing how the NGOs faired is by looking at the number of Null and Void ballots resulting from the polls. While it is not my intention to appraise the NGOs now, I would like to urge them that in future, it will be in the interest of all Malawians that all NGOs should continue to fulfil their mandate with the usual dedication and honesty.

3.3 Role Played by District Commissioners

Let me take this opportunity to express the Commission's gratitude to all District Commissioners who were Returning Officers in the Electoral process. From the time we started Registration to this time,DCs have played a key role as Elections Managers in the districts and had it not been for their dedication, the story would have been different. We must not omit all the Registration and Polling day personnel who did their best to bring the elections to a satisfactory conclusion.
 

• Justice James B. Kalaile, SC
• Commissioner M. Ngwembe
• Commissioner K.C. Tembo
• Commissioner N.W. Mbekeani
• Commissioner AN. Nanthuru
• Commissioner F.C. Chirwa
• Commissioner G.N.T. Kamwambe
• Commissioner M.F. Kanjo
• Commissioner A.G. Mtendere

R. L. Gondwe
Chief Elections Officer

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The Malawi Electoral Commission                                                                                                                                                  Malawi SDNP