Malawians are voting in presidential and parliamentary elections, following a turbulent five years that has seen the economic crisis worsening in the southern African nation.
President Lazarus Chakwera is vying for a second term, his main rival being Peter Mutharika, an octogenarian who has previously been in office.
In the cities, campaigning has been overshadowed by fuel shortages, which have led to long, frustrating queues at petrol stations. The rising cost of living has also been a major concern of voters.
A presidential run-off will be held if no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes cast in Tuesday’s election.
What are Malawians voting for?
The 7.2 million registered voters will be taking part in three elections once polling stations open at 04:00 GMT:
Presidential – there are 17 candidates to choose from
Parliamentary – 229 constituency MPs will be elected
Local – 509 councillor positions are up for grabs.
Who could be the next president?
Among the 17 hopefuls there are two clear front-runners.
Chakwera and Mutharika will square off against each other at the polls for the fourth time – though the third time ended up not counting.
Mutharika first defeated Chakwera in 2014, but when he was declared winner over Chakwera in the next election in 2019 the result was annulled. Chakwera won the re-run the following year.
Lazarus Chakwera – Malawi Congress Party (MCP)
Chakwera, a former theology lecturer and preacher, had no political experience when he emerged as leader of the MCP in 2013.
When he ran for president in 2014 he was unsuccessful, but in 2020 he triumphed, beating the incumbent, Mutharika, in that unprecedented re-run.
Chakwera’s time in office has been marred by economic turmoil and allegations of corruption. The 70-year-old did, however, reintroduce train services in Malawi for the first time in over three decades. He has also overseen major road construction across the country.
Peter Mutharika – Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
Mutharika, an 85-year-old former lawyer and law lecturer, led Malawi from 2014 to 2020.
He is the brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office in 2012.
Like Chakwera, Mutharika is also burdened by corruption allegations and links to economic crises. However, his supporters would argue that the current high inflation rate (around 27%) is proof that Mutharika managed the economy better than his successor.
Mutharika’s age may count against him this election – speculation about his health is rife, especially as he has rarely been seen out in public during the campaign period.
Other contenders garnering attention are former president Joyce Banda (People’s Party), current Vice-President Michael Usi (Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu)and former reserve bank governor Dalitso Kabambe (UTM).
What are the key issues for voters?
A head shot of a man, wearing a battered, khaki, cloth hat
Polls are set to close at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT)
The economy
Malawi has long been one of the poorest countries in the world, but the past few years have been especially punishing.
The country was devastated by Cyclone Freddy that killed hundreds of people in 2023, then a drought swept across southern Africa the following year. Food prices skyrocketed due to a short supply of crops, pushing many Malawians into extreme poverty.
Economists also put Malawi’s current inflation problems partly down to the shortage of foreign currencies – known as “forex” – in the banks.
In addition, Malawi has been forced to devalue its currency and was recently crippled by fuel shortages and nationwide power outages.
Corruption
When Chakwera came to power, he vowed to “to clear the rubble of corruption” that has long plagued Malawian politics. His administration says it has excelled in this area, but critics – including the influential Catholic Church – say this is not the case.
Scepticism was sparked last year when the director of public prosecutions dropped corruption charges against high-profile figures.
Additionally, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been without a director since former boss Martha Chizuma left more than a year ago.
To some, the failure to appoint a new head actively hinders the fight against corruption.
Previous administrations have also been dogged by graft allegations. For instance, the ACB accused Mutharika of receiving a kickback from a contract to supply food to the police – he denied any wrongdoing.
Banda’s reputation was dented by a scandal dubbed “cashgate” which happened under her watch. She was cleared by the ACB of any wrongdoing.
The former vice-president’s death
In June last year, Vice-President Saulos Chilima died in a plane crash. Popular with the youth, Chilima led the UTM party and could have been a key contender in the upcoming elections, especially as he had fallen out with the president.
Although two investigations – one carried out by Germany’s aviation accidents agency and another by a Malawi government-appointed commission – did not find evidence of foul play, some Malawians remain suspicious of the authorities.
Opposition parties have been fuelling this scepticism during their campaigns, referring to Chakwera’s party as the “Chikangawa Party” (Chikangawa Forest being the site of the plane crash).
What has happened in previous elections?
Malawi was governed by the MCP from its independence in 1964 until the country’s first multi-party poll in 1994.
Since the shift from a one-party state, the United Democratic Front, the DPP, the People’s Party and the MCP have all enjoyed stints in power.
Chakwera’s victory with the MCP in 2020 was one of the most significant moments in the country’s political history.
A general election had taken place the year before and Mutharika was declared the winner.
However, the Constitutional Court annulled the election, saying there had been widespread tampering, including the use of Tipp-Ex correction fluid on results sheets.
Judges ordered a re-run for 2020, and Chakwera won with 59% of the vote after having teamed up with Chilima.
Although Mutharika branded the re-run “unacceptable”, the Constitutional Court gained international acclaim for safeguarding democracy and refusing to be influenced by presidential power.
How will Tuesday’s presidential vote work?
Following the controversy of the 2019 election, Malawi implemented a new system, where a candidate must gain more than 50% of the total votes to win the presidency in the first round.
There is a strong possibility that this year’s candidates will not reach the threshold, meaning a run-off election will have to be held.
The MCP and DPP will likely try to bring smaller parties on board in order to secure a majority in the second round.
The electoral commission has up until the end of 24 September to announce the presidential result in Tuesday’s poll and the end of 30 September for the parliamentary election.
Counting is due to begin at polling stations as soon as voting ends at 14:00 GMT.
Will the elections be free and fair?
The court’s actions following the 2019 vote have given some Malawians faith in the electoral process.
However, over the past months, a number or civil society organisations and opposition parties have accused the electoral commission of favouring the MCP, alleging that its top management has links to the governing party. The commission has firmly denied being biased.
A protest in June calling for the resignation of the commission’s top officials was attacked by masked, machete-wielding men, leading to concerns about freedom of expression in the run-up to the election.
The assault was not an isolated incident – there have been numerous reports of politically motivated violence ahead of the general election.
Source: BBC
