The folks of Malawi are set to vote for his or her subsequent chief, following a turbulent 5 years involving financial turmoil, pure disasters and the shock loss of life of the nation’s vice-president.
Present President Lazarus Chakwera is vying for a second time period, his essential rival being Peter Mutharika, an octogenarian who has additionally held workplace within the southern African nation as soon as earlier than.
Transparency and equity are key speaking factors forward of the vote, on condition that the results of Malawi’s 2019 presidential election was overturned within the courts as a result of widespread irregularities.
When are Malawi’s elections?
Polling day is Tuesday 16 September 2025.
What are Malawians voting for?
The 7.2 million registered voters shall be collaborating in three elections:
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Presidential – there are 17 candidates to select from
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Parliamentary – 229 constituency MPs shall be elected
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Native – 509 councillor positions are up for grabs.
Who might be the subsequent president?
Lazarus Chakwera (L) and Peter Mutharika (R) have confronted one another on the poll earlier than [AFP/Getty Images]
Among the many 17 hopefuls there are two clear front-runners.
Chakwera and Mutharika will sq. off in opposition to one another on the polls for the fourth time – although the third time ended up not counting.
Mutharika first defeated Chakwera in 2014, however when he was declared winner over Chakwera within the subsequent election in 2019 the outcome was annulled. Chakwera gained the re-run the next yr.
Lazarus Chakwera – Malawi Congress Celebration (MCP)
Chakwera, a former theology lecturer and preacher, had no political expertise when he emerged as chief of the MCP in 2013.
When he ran for president in 2014 he was unsuccessful, however in 2020 he triumphed, beating the incumbent, Mutharika, in that unprecedented re-run.
Chakwera’s time in workplace has been marred by financial turmoil and allegations of corruption. The 70-year-old did, nonetheless, reintroduce prepare providers in Malawi for the primary time in over three a long time. He has additionally overseen main highway building throughout the nation.
Peter Mutharika – Democratic Progressive Celebration (DPP)
Mutharika, an 85-year-old former lawyer and regulation lecturer, led Malawi from 2014 to 2020.
He’s the brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in workplace in 2012.
Like Chakwera, Mutharika can also be burdened by corruption allegations and hyperlinks to financial crises. Nevertheless, his supporters would argue that the present excessive inflation fee (round 27%) is proof that Mutharika managed the financial system higher than his successor.
Mutharika’s age might depend in opposition to him this election – hypothesis about his well being is rife, particularly as he has not often been seen out in public throughout the marketing campaign interval.
Different contenders garnering consideration are former president Joyce Banda (Individuals’s Celebration), present Vice-President Michael Usi (Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu) and former reserve financial institution governor Dalitso Kabambe (UTM).
What are the important thing points for voters?
The financial system
Malawi has lengthy been one of many poorest nations on the planet, however the previous few years have been particularly punishing.
The nation was devastated by Cyclone Freddy that killed tons of of individuals in 2023, then a drought swept throughout southern Africa the next yr. Meals costs skyrocketed as a result of a brief provide of crops, pushing many Malawians into excessive poverty.
Economists additionally put Malawi’s present inflation issues partly all the way down to the scarcity of foreign currency echange – often called “foreign exchange” – within the banks.
As well as, Malawi has been compelled to devalue its foreign money and was lately crippled by gasoline shortages and nationwide energy outages.
Corruption
When Chakwera got here to energy, he vowed to “to clear the rubble of corruption” that has lengthy plagued Malawian politics. His administration says it has excelled on this space, however critics – together with the influential Catholic Church – say this isn’t the case.
Scepticism was sparked final yr when the director of public prosecutions dropped corruption costs in opposition to high-profile figures.
Moreover, Malawi’s anti-graft company, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), has been and not using a director since former boss Martha Chizuma left greater than a yr in the past.
To some, the failure to nominate a brand new head actively hinders the battle in opposition to corruption.
However earlier administrations have additionally been dogged by graft allegations. For example, the ACB accused Mutharika of receiving a kickback from a contract to produce meals to the police – he denied any wrongdoing.
Banda’s popularity was dented by a scandal dubbed “cashgate” which occurred underneath her watch. She was cleared by the ACB of any wrongdoing.
The previous vice-president’s loss of life
In June final yr, Vice-President Saulos Chilima died in a aircraft crash. Standard with the youth, Chilima led the UTM social gathering and will have been a key contender within the upcoming elections, particularly as he had fallen out with the president.
Though two investigations – one carried out by Germany’s aviation accidents company and one other by a Malawi government-appointed fee – didn’t discover proof of foul play, some Malawians stay suspicious of the authorities.
Opposition events have been fuelling this scepticism throughout their campaigns, referring to Chakwera’s social gathering because the “Chikangawa Celebration” (Chikangawa Forest being the positioning of the aircraft crash).
A whole lot in Malawi misplaced their lives to Cyclone Freddy [AFP/Getty Images]
What has occurred in earlier elections?
Malawi was ruled by the MCP from its independence in 1964 till the nation’s first multi-party ballot in 1994.
Because the shift from a one-party state, the United Democratic Entrance, the DPP, the Individuals’s Celebration and the MCP have all loved stints in energy.
Chakwera’s victory with the MCP in 2020 was probably the most important moments within the nation’s political historical past.
A normal election had taken place the yr earlier than and Mutharika was declared the winner.
Nevertheless, the Constitutional Courtroom annulled the election, saying there had been widespread tampering, together with the usage of Tipp-Ex correction fluid on outcomes sheets.
Judges ordered a re-run for 2020, and Chakwera gained with 59% of the vote after having teamed up with Chilima.
Though Mutharika branded the re-run “unacceptable”, the Constitutional Courtroom gained worldwide approval for safeguarding democracy and refusing to be influenced by presidential energy.
How will the upcoming vote work?
Following the controversy of the 2019 election, Malawi applied a brand new system, the place a candidate should acquire greater than 50% of the full votes to win the presidency within the first spherical.
There’s a sturdy risk that this yr’s candidates is not going to attain this threshold within the preliminary ballot, which means a run-off election should be held.
The MCP and DPP will probably attempt to carry different, smaller events on board as a way to safe a majority within the second spherical.
Will the elections be free and honest?
The court docket’s actions following the 2019 vote have given some Malawians religion within the electoral course of.
Nevertheless, over the previous months, a quantity or civil society organisations and opposition events have accused the electoral fee of favouring the MCP, alleging that its prime administration has hyperlinks to the governing social gathering. The fee has firmly denied being biased.
A protest in June calling for the resignation of the fee’s prime officers was attacked by masked, machete-wielding males, resulting in issues about freedom of expression within the run-up to the election.
The assault was not an remoted incident – there have been quite a few reviews of politically motivated violence forward of the final election.
When will we all know the outcomes?
The result of the presidential election shall be introduced by the top of 24 September.
The parliamentary outcomes shall be introduced by the top of 30 September.
Extra BBC tales about Malawi:
[Getty Images/BBC]
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