Malawians headed to the polls early Tuesday in a tightly contested presidential election that pits incumbent Lazarus Chakwera against his predecessor Peter Mutharika in a rematch of the country’s landmark annulled vote in 2019.
Polling stations opened at 6am local time (0400 GMT) across the southern African nation where more than 7 million registered voters are choosing a president, 229 members of parliament and over 500 local government councillors.
The election marks Malawi’s first national vote since the 2019 presidential results were nullified due to widespread irregularities, including altered tally sheets and the use of correction fluid.
That decision, upheld by the Constitutional Court, led to a historic 2020 re-run in which Chakwera defeated Mutharika – making Malawi the first African country to remove a sitting president through a court-ordered election redo.
Five years later, the two men face off again in a race widely expected to go to a second round.
Chakwera, 70, a former preacher and leader of the Malawi Congress Party, is seeking a second term amid mounting public frustration over inflation, fuel shortages and stagnant growth.
Mutharika, 84, of the Democratic Progressive Party, is campaigning on a promise to restore economic stability and reverse what he calls “five wasted years.”
Seventeen presidential candidates are on the ballot, including former President Joyce Banda, although analysts say the contest is effectively a two-man race.
Both frontrunners have pledged to revitalise Malawi’s agriculture-dependent economy, which has been battered by climate shocks and inflation exceeding 27 percent.
The election is being closely monitored by regional and international observers, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has deployed 80 observers across all 28 districts.
Malawi is one of the 16 SADC member states and currently chairs the organ responsible for promoting good governance, peace and security in the regional bloc.
JN/APA