The elections were conducted for the Legislative Council in Nyasaland on 15 August 1961. This can be said to be the first multi-party elections to be held in Malawi.
In these elections, there were two voter rolls. A lower roll with a predominantly African electorate, which elected 20 members, and had 106,095 registered voters. The other one was a higher roll of largely European and Asian electorates, which elected eight members with 4,337 registered voters.
Five constituencies in the lower roll were uncontested and only 75,707 voters were eligible to cast the vote on Election day.
The result was a landslide victory for the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which won all 20 lower roll seats (five of which were unopposed) and two of the eight higher roll seats.
The two candidates for MCP who won the higher roll seats were Sattar Sacranie and Mikeka Mkandawire. Colin Cameron who was a member of MCP, contested as an independent candidate for the higher roll seat (Soche constituency).
The United Federal Party (UFP) won five of the eight higher roll seats and none in the lower roll seats while the Christian Liberation Party (CLP) failed to win any seat in both the lower and upper rolls.
The expectation of the UFP was that the majority seats they had won in the upper roll, entitled them to high roll ministries, and the UFP leader Michael Blackwood would not accept anything less. Dr. Banda, however, rejected a proposal for a coalition government.
Eventually, the cabinet then called Executive Council was formed leaving out UFP members. The following MCP parliamentarians elected from lower roll were appointed ministers:
Dr. Banda- Natural Resources and Local Government
Kanyama Chiume- Education
Augustine Bwanausi- Labour
Orton Chirwa – Justice (Deputy Minister/parliamentary secretary)
Dunduzu Chisiza- Finance (Deputy Minister (parliamentary secretary)
From the higher roll, the following were appointed ministers:
Colin Cameron- Works and Transport
Mikeka Mkandawire- without portfolio
The United Federal Party (UFP) was a conservative party geared to promote interests of the whites in the Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Led by Roy Welesky, its headquarters was in Salisbury (Harare) while the leader of the UFP branch in Nyasaland was Michael Blackwood.
In Nyasaland, the UFP nevertheless attracted membership among Africans. For instance, during the 15 August 1961 elections, about 11 Africans contested as parliamentary candidates under the UFP. These were: former Nyasaland Legislative Council members, Mr. Chinyama and Mr. Chijozi; former Federal Member of Parliament Mathews Phiri; Mr. Makamo, Andrew Mponda, Harry Thomson and Mr. Mussah.
A third party that contested in the 15 August 1961 elections was the Christian Liberation Party (CLP) formed in April 1961 (four months before the elections).
Led by two Africans namely TDT Banda (President) and Chester Katsonga (Deputy President), CLP was an almagamation of two parties: TDT Banda’s Congress Liberation Party formed in second half of 1958 and Chester Katsonga’s Christian Democratic Party formed in October 1960.
In the 15 August 1961 elections, CLP put up seven candidates. The President TDT Banda contested in Nkhatabay, his home district. The Deputy President, Chester Katsonga contested in Blantyre urban against MCP candidate Augustine Bwanausi.
Mr. Kwenje contested for the Blantyre rural. In Lower shire, Gill Phiri contested against Harry Thomson (UFP) and Gwanda Chakuamba (MCP). In Cholo, it was GC Namangwiyo. Gilbert Pondeponde contested in Mulanje. Mr. Makunami was fielded to battle it out with Willie Chokani for Chiradzulo constituency.
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