High stakes in Malawi as Chakwera, Mutharika declare presidential wins before official results
Electoral commission chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said nearly 98 per cent of results had been received but cautioned that premature declarations by political parties could create “a recipe for disaster.”
Malawians are anxiously awaiting the outcome of Tuesday’s elections, with the electoral commission insisting it will only release results once every ballot has been verified.
Commission chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said nearly 98 per cent of results had been received but cautioned that premature declarations by political parties could create “a recipe for disaster.”
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Despite this warning, both main contenders have already claimed victory.
Incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, 70, declared his win “loud, clear, and emphatic,” with his Malawi Congress Party arguing that voters had endorsed his five-pillar development agenda.
His predecessor, Peter Mutharika, 85, countered that the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was the true winner, accusing Chakwera of refusing to concede defeat.
One term
The stakes are high. Chakwera, a former preacher who rose to power in a court-ordered re-run in 2020, risks becoming the third Malawian president in just over a decade to serve only one term.
His failure to tackle corruption, inflation, fuel shortages, and a deepening cost-of-living crisis has eroded public confidence, giving Mutharika—who was unseated in 2020 after his contested win was annulled—renewed political momentum.
Economic grievances
Observers note that Malawians also voted in parliamentary and local elections, with economic grievances dominating the campaign.
If no presidential candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off will be held.
Memories of the annulled 2019 election still hang heavily, and the commission has reiterated that results will only be announced once the tallies are complete and credible.
For many voters, the choice lies between two familiar figures: a beleaguered incumbent struggling to deliver reforms, and an octogenarian mounting a dramatic comeback.
Whichever way the vote swings, the result will shape Malawi’s democratic resilience at a time of worsening economic hardship.
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