Accountability Is The Key To Democracy

Malawians opted for multiparty democracy in the 1993 Referendum, a decision they sustained when they voted for the United Democratic Front and booted out the Malawi Congress Party, which had been running the country’s affairs for some three decades, in 1994.

In opting for democracy, voters signalled that they were ready to embrace a new way of governing the country. For instance, instead of waiting for leaders to make all decisions—including those pertaining to life and death—for them, Malawians wanted to have a stake in decision-making processes.

Logically, this is done every five years, when eligible voters vote for President, members of Parliament and ward councillors. Considering that these elected officials cannot be turning to citizens before making each and every decision, the leaders utilise the vote to rule on trust until the next turn for elections comes.

However, things do not seem to be working the way most voters anticipated.

Afrobarometer has just released findings that indicate that the full demand for democracy declined by 18 percentage points over the past decade. The measure covers citizens who prefer democracy and reject one-person, one-party and military rule.

The research institute attributes the decline to growing concerns about government performance, political freedoms and corruption. According to the report, full demand for democracy in Malawi fell from 49 percent in 2014-2015 to 31 percent in 2024-2025.

Across Africa, only 36 percent of citizens expressed full demand for democracy in 2024-2025, down from 47 percent among the 28 countries consistently surveyed over the past decade.

The findings indicate that the increasingly negative assessments of government performance, concerns about presidents ignoring the law and Parliament, problematic elections, declining political freedoms and corruption are the factors undermining confidence in democratic institutions.

This is disappointing, considering that democracy thrives on accountability.

When citizens feel that the leaders they put into positions are resistant to calls for accountability, they shut off and let things be.

No wonder, voter apathy has become a norm in national elections in Malawi.

However, there is room for improvement and this can happen once leaders recognise that they rule on trust and that, as such, they have to do what citizens want.

Citizens are tired of nepotism, corruption and politics of patronage.

All Malawians have a stake in national development efforts and, as such, they have to be given a chance to shape national discourse.