Constitution of Malawi

Malawi's constitution was adopted in 1994 and came into force on 18 May 1994, replacing the one party arrangement that had governed the country under Hastings Banda since 1964, following a 1993 referendum that approved a return to multi party politics. It establishes a presidential system in which the president is both head of state and head of government, with a unicameral National Assembly as the legislature after provisions for a Senate were deleted in 2001, and an independent judiciary. More than forty registered political parties now operate under its multi party framework.