Malawi is set for one of its most closely watched elections in recent history as voters head to the polls on Tuesday, with all systems go for a presidential contest that could see former leaders attempt dramatic political comebacks against incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera.
Over 7.2 million registered voters are due to cast their votes in the 2025 general elections expected to determine the presidency, 229 members of the National Assembly and over 500 local government councillors.
It marks the first national vote under the 50 percent-plus-one constitutional threshold introduced after the annulment of the 2019 presidential election – a landmark ruling that led to a historic re-run and brought Chakwera to power.
Former presidents Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Joyce Banda are among the 17 candidates seeking a ticket to State House.
Mutharika, 84, who governed from 2014 to 2020, returns to the political arena claiming he must “rescue the nation” from economic decline.
His DPP campaign has gained traction among rural and informal communities, many of whom recall his tenure as a period of relative stability.
Banda, 75, Malawi’s first female president, is also seeking a return to office, having relaunched her national campaign earlier this year.
Chakwera, 70, is running for a second term amid criticism over persistent inflation, fuel shortages and strained public services.
He has attributed the country’s economic woes to external shocks, including regional droughts and tropical cyclones.
The elections have attracted the attention of the international community, with several bodies having dispatched observer teams to the southern African country.
One of these is the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has deployed 80 observers from nine member states to monitor the elections across all 28 districts.
SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi arrived in Lilongwe on Sunday to join the SADC Electoral Observation Mission, led by former Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku.
JN/APA