Capital: Lilongwe
Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

Constitution: 6 July 1966; republished as amended January 1974

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994), leader of the United Democratic Front
cabinet: Cabinet; named by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly: elections last held 17 May 1994 (next to be held NA); seats - (177 total) UDF 84, AFORD 33, MCP 55, others 5

Judicial branch: High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
ruling party: United Democratic Front (UDF), Bakili MULUZI
opposition groups: Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Gwanda CHAKUAMBA Phiri, secretary general (top party position); Alliance for Democracy (Aford), Chakufwa CHIHANA; Socialist League of Malawi (Lesoma), Kapote MWAKUSULA, secretary general; Malawi Democratic Union (MDU), Harry BWANAUSI; Congress for the Second Republic (CSR), Kanyama CHIUME; Malawi Socialist Labor Party (MSLP), Stanford SAMBANEMANJA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert B. MBAYA
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 797-1007
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael T. F. PISTOR
embassy: address NA, in new capital city development area in Lilongwe
mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
telephone: [265] 783-166
FAX: [265] 780-471

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band; similar to the flag of Afghanistan, which is longer and has the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands

NOTE: The information regarding Malawi on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Malawi Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Malawi Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.