Publication:

THE INTERFACE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY AND THE STATE IN DEMOCRACY CONSOLIDATION

This study assesses the effects of the interaction between chieftaincy and the democratic state institutions namely MPs and local councilors on the democratic consolidation process. The aim of the study is to determine whether the interaction between chiefs on the one hand and MPs and local councillors on the other promotes the democratic values of accountability and representation as core values of democracy. The study is purely qualitative and uses the case study approach. It involved conducting semi-structured Key Informant Interviews (KII), and focus group discussions (FGDs) in Lilongwe district. Lilongwe district was purposively sampled because its population is quite diverse with shades of Ngoni, Yao but predominantly Chewa chieftainships. Three villages in each traditional authority area were simple randomly sampled for both KII and FGDs. The study, established that the interface between chiefs and MP5 and local councillors, presents opportunities for enhancing downward accountability and effective representation for ordinary citizens in Lilongwe district. The study also finds that chiefs have more mechanisms for listening to and giving feedback to their communities which presents them with increased capability to enhance accountability and representation as compared to their elected counterparts. However, the ambivalence of the regulatory frameworks creates overlapping of roles especially between chiefs and local councillors, hence conflicts. Such conflicts present a potential fault-line that would threaten the progression of the process of democracy consolidation. The study concludes that chiefttaincy should be systematically integrated into the democratic structure by among other measures, being provided with a forum for deliberation on issues of national concern.