- A majority (78 percent) of Malawians prefer regular, open and honest elections.
- Fifty-seven percent of Malawians say Malawi is a democracy with major problems or not a democracy at all. The northern region is more dissatisfied with democracy than either the centre or south
- Sixty-three percent prefer many political parties to allow real choices in who governs them.
- In Malawi, the army and the police are most trusted (72 percent and 64 percent, respectively).
This report analyses data from the Afrobarometer Round 2 survey conducted in Malawi in May 2003. The results suggest that there is a high demand for democracy in Malawi, but also that Malawians are being supplied with less democracy than they want. They prefer democracy to any other form of government and, for the most part, they reject dictatorial tendencies, although some nostalgia for the authoritarian past is evident. Comparing the demand for and supply of democracy and good governance displays some of the weaknesses in the democratization process that could explain this nostalgia. The most notable problematic areas include:
- government performance in managing the economy, fighting corruption, and reducing crime;
- corruption among public officials; and
- performance of Local Councilors and MPs.
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