Abstract

The study seeks to identify factors that determine electoral support in re-electing presidential candidates in Malawi. This follows re-election of presidential candidates of incumbent political parties in Malawi from 1994 to 2009 amid the general discontent of personal living conditions and the higher disapproval rates of the general economic conditions of the country associated with the parties. The study uses afrobarometer survey data of 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2008. Results from the overall and individual logistic regression analysis indicate a significant relationship between the intention to re-elect incumbent presidents and performance evaluations of the economy, party identity, level of education and area of residence. But the significance for most of the variables is not constant moving from one afro barometer survey to another. The policy implications are that the voting pattern in Malawi presents a more complex scenario that can be explained by a mixture of variables economic, political and social structural. Therefore appealing for electoral support on the basis of region of origin, party identity does not guarantee re-election. Incumbent political parties, often represented by their presidential candidates, have to perform and satisfy the electorate in managing the economy and improving the living conditions of people to be re elected.

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School	: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Issued Date	: 2010

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