Going to the Polls tomorrow....

Tomorrow is election day in Malawi. The lead up to the election has actually been pretty exciting and full of political maneuverings. The incumbent President is Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika. He's been in power for 5 years and he seems to be doing a pretty decent job. It's pretty difficult for me to judge of course, but Lilongwe is undergoing some pretty significant growth. For example, we're getting our first big department store. It should be finished some time next year and would be the equivalent of Walmart in Canada I think. Some might not see this as a really positive step and I'm not really a fan of Walmart type stores (as those who know can testify to), but here it feels like a step forward. It means more jobs for people. There are also many other buildings and homes being built. Bingu, as he is called here, has also invested in road infrastructure. Five major roads have been built in Bingu's time, which are pretty much essential for development. Imagine a 200 km drive taking 10 hours! However, Bingu has used public funds to finance his campaign. His party, the DPP, has posters, buttons, flags, hats, and chitenjes (cloths that local people wear) everywhere. He's also used several Hummers to transport his campaigners around Malawi. The picture shows a DPP flag in one of the markets.

The main challenger for President is John Tembo. He has formed a coalition with past President Bakili Muluzi and it appears that the coalition has a fighting chance against Bingu. Muluzi is an interesting character who was president for two terms from 1994 to 2004. Malawi's constitution says that a president may only serve for two consecutive terms and Muluzi has been in the courts for the last several months trying to win the ability to run again on the grounds that he took a brake from being president and another term should be considered as independent of the previous two consecutive terms. So far, the courts have turned him down. But! he's now in an alliance with John Tembo and they're hoping to win the election, although critics say the two don't have much in common politically.

Although, the last few elections here have been calm this one is definitely a little more contentious than in previous years. I've heard different speculation about what's going to happen over the next few days. Everyone seems to agree that it will all work itself out over the next few days and be calm again by the end of the week. I'll be tucked away safely at home whatever happens and I'll update you soon!