Muluzi faces an opposition parliament

President Bakili Muluzi may be in for a rocky ride over the next five years after his party failed to win an overall majority in last week’s general elections, diplomatic sources told IRIN on Monday. Muluzi, leader of the United Democratic Front (UDF), won Tuesday’s presidential poll with 51.37 percent (2,442,685) of the vote while Gwanda Chakuamba of the opposition coalition of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) scored 44.20 percent (2,106,790). In the 193-member parliament, the alliance took a total of 95 seats and the UDF 93. In confirmation of the regional voting trends in Malawi, the MCP won 66 seats in its central region stronghold and AFORD 29 from its northern powerbase. The bulk of the UDF’s wins were in the south. Independent parties took a further four seats, while one is under dispute. “Relations between the MCP/AFORD alliance and the ruling UDF have always been bad, and there is no sign that the alliance will cooperate with the UDF (in the legislature),” the diplomatic sources said. “The one route open to Muluzi is to woo the independents by either giving them cabinet positions or some other incentives.” The alliance, according to the sources, was on Monday trying to get a court injunction against Muluzi’s inauguration, arguing that he did not poll a simple majority of all registered voters totalling just over five million. “This action indicates that the alliance is planning to make it difficult for Muluzi and his UDF to govern Malawi,” the sources added.