LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Malawi: Malawi Congress Party
built 269 days ago
For almost thirty one years, the government of Malawi and the Malawi Congress Party were one. When Malawi was declared a republic in 1966, the country was formally declared a one-party state. Under Banda, all citizens had to be members of the party. This situation changed in a 1993 referendum, which instituted a multiparty system. In the country's first democratic elections, Banda and the MCP were soundly defeated.
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The parliament of Malawi is the unicameral National Assembly, made up of 193 members who are popularly elected to terms of up to five years, with additional members nominated by the president. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was the sole legal political party from 1966 until 1993; the first multiparty elections were held in 1994. The MCP and the United Democratic Front (UDF) hold most of the seats in parliament.
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![[Malawi national flag]](http://retrieverimages.lycos.com/images/m/a/l/malawi/i/012.gif)
According to the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) (30 Dec 1998) the Malawi government has plans for a change of flag. These were... put on hold in late January 1999 according to the Africa News Network. The flag change was planned because the current flag is derived from the former flag of the main opposition (and former ruling) party, the Malawi Congress Party, except for the rising sun. The article further mentions that MCP "three years ago" changed its flag to one which is all-green with a black cock in the middle of a white circle.
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On June 14, 1993, the people of Malawi voted overwhelmingly in favor of multi-party democracy. Free and fair national elections were held on May 17, 1994. Bakili Muluzi, leader of the United Democratic Front (UDF), was elected President in those elections. The UDF won 82 of the 177 seats in the National Assembly and formed a coalition government with the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD). That coalition disbanded in June 1996, but some of its members remained in the government. Malawi's newly written constitution (1995) eliminated special powers previously reserved for the Malawi Congress Party.
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Malawi Congress Party