IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2014 - 34

Unexpected Election Results

she sadly announced that she would step
aside in the new election.
As they headed into the 20
While injunctions were filed by parties
May 2014 polls, President
to challenge the legality of Banda's use
Banda and the People's Party
of the constitution, other parties agreed
hoped that the public would
the irregularities were too great and
vote to give her five more
demanded a recount.
years to continue the many
The MEC announced an individual
initiatives she had started.
ballot recount of all 7 million ballots,
The elections were to
and the country braced for the 25 days
be the nation's first triparto six months it could take for a winner
tite elections for president,
to be declared but then the Malawian
members of parliament,
High Court ordered that Malawian elecand local government
toral law, which requires that a winner be
councilors. Twelve canMTCURADO
HOTO.COM/
announced within eight days of elections,
didates ran for president,
©ISTOCKP
be upheld. Well before the recount could
with four considered frontbe completed, the MEC announced a winrunners, President Banda and
ner-Peter Mutharika. President Banda
Peter Mutharika among them.
Primary and secondary education
conceded defeat with honor and grace
Things quickly became chaotic. The
have always been particularly important
and asked the people of Malawi to support
electoral commission encountered many
to Banda, who left an abusive husband in
their new president.
logistical challenges, and numerous
1981 and understands how instrumental
She also asks the members
irregularities were reported.
education is to empowering women and
of the IEEE community,
Among the potential issues
youth. When she left her husband at
whose skills and innovawere ballots tampered
the age of 25, she became a successful
Regardless
tions are instrumenwith or discarded
entrepreneur, founding numerous orgaof the outcome
tal, to build strong
and party observers
nizations in support of women, from
of the election, Joyce
sustainable framepaid off to report
the National Association of Business
Banda rises above
works in areas
falsified numbers.
Women to the Market Women Activities
politics in hopes that by
such as agriculWith over 100
in Development.
complaints filed,
The People's Party 18-chapter manibringing global attention to ture, vocational
training, and
President Banda
festo states, "The youth are an asset of
Malawi, the community
health care, for
implored the
our nation; they are energetic, advenat large will take up
help. She reaches
independent electurous, innovative, industrious, healthy,
the work she has
out and requests
toral commission to
and willing to learn." To this end, Banda
begun.
strategies to help with
investigate.
worked to improve access to education as
Malawi's continued progOne irregularity was
well as quality and kept a strategic focus
ress and advancement. To those
apparent: in some areas, canon technical, vocational, and enterprise
who may have experience in irrigation
didates received more votes than the
training. She believes investing in edutechnologies, for example, or who have
possible number of registered voters.
cation across the board will slow the
ideas on how to increase crop yield, or who
With the tallying process of the indepenlabor import while raising access to jobs
have used technology to bring medicine
dent electoral commission (MEC) thus
and increasing income.
to remote areas, Malawi still needs your
compromised, the MEC switched to manBanda sees tourism as "the next big
expertise. Regardless of the outcome of the
ually tallying from previously aggregated
margin for the growth of the economy"
election, Joyce Banda rises above politics in
tally sheets and continued its counting.
for this warm heart of Africa with its
hopes that by bringing global attention to
Four days past election day, though,
breathtaking scenery and subtropiMalawi, the community at large will take up
President Banda, with support of the
cal climate. But with few direct flights
the work she has begun.
attorney general, invoked a clause in the
into Malawi, access is limited. Banda
constitution to nullify the election process
worked to develop an open skies policy
since the commission was not taking other
for frequent and competitive air travel
-Katianne Williams is a freelance
complaints into account. She declared a
to Malawi as well as to revive the defunct
writer specializing in the technology field.
new election to be held in 90 days, and, to
Malawian Airlines under the auspices of
show she was not seeking personal gain,
Ethiopian Airlines.

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014

http://www.ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MTCURADO

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2014