Malawians see inequalities but say federalism is not the answer, Afrobarometer analysis shows

Malawians overwhelmingly reject a proposal to adopt a federal system of government as a way of ensuring equitable distribution of development resources, an Afrobarometer analysis shows.

At the same time, a majority of citizens say that their ethnic groups are treated unfairly by the government and that communities that don’t vote for the ruling party suffer negative consequences in terms of public services and development projects.

Based on findings from Afrobarometer’s most recent survey in Malawi, conducted in late 2019, fully half of citizens say there are more factors that divide them than unite them as a people.