General elections were due to be held in Malawi on 24 May 1976. They were the first to be held after President Hastings Banda became president for life in 1971.
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All 85 seats in the National Assembly 43 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Banda's Malawi Congress Party had been the only legally permitted party since 1966. Each of the 70 constituencies had a maximum of five candidates proposed by at least two registered voters and nominated by MCP committees. All prospective candidates had to declare their allegiance to Banda in order to stand. These candidates' names were then submitted to Banda, who personally vetted the prospective candidates before selecting a single candidate for each constituency. As a result, no voting took place on election day and all 70 candidates were returned unopposed.[1][2][3]
Following the elections, Banda nominated another 15 members to the National Assembly.[1]
Results
edit| Party | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malawi Congress Party | 70 | +14 | |
| Appointed members | 15 | – | |
| Total | 85 | +17 | |
| Source: IPU | |||
References
edit- ^ a b Malawi Inter-Parliamentary Union
- ^ Malawi: Era of One Party Rule (1964-1992) EISA
- ^ "Malawi Handbook" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 1971.