Sep, 17 2025
By Fibion Mapholisa
Counting enters a tense second day
Malawi moved into a second day of vote counting on Wednesday after a closely fought presidential contest that has kept the country on edge. Incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, 70, is seeking a second term and faces a fierce challenge from his predecessor, Peter Mutharika. Former president Joyce Banda returned to the fray as well, turning the ballot into a rare face-off among leaders who have each held power at different moments in Malawi’s modern politics.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) said early assessments put voter turnout at around 60% from the 7.2 million people registered to vote—about 65% of those eligible. That’s a marked drop from 2019, when turnout hovered near 80%. Women accounted for 57% of registered voters, making them the largest bloc to watch as results trickle in from thousands of polling stations across the country.
Votes are being tallied at district centers before being transmitted to the national level for aggregation and verification. Officials began counting minutes after polls closed at 4:00 PM on Tuesday. Party monitors and observer teams are stationed at tally centers to cross-check results sheets and reduce the risk of disputes. Regional and international observer missions reported a largely calm process in most districts, though several stations flagged late openings and shortages of materials that created brief queues.
This election follows a two-round constitutional system introduced after the annulment of the 2019 results, a landmark court ruling that reshaped Malawi’s rules of the game. Under the revised framework, a candidate needs more than 50% of valid votes to avoid a runoff. Given how competitive this race appears, observers say a second round within 30 days is more likely than not.
Unofficial tallies from parts of Lilongwe circulated overnight on social media, but the commission cautioned that only district-verified figures feed into the official count. Parties have set up parallel vote tabulations, yet the MEC retains the final word and has up to eight days to declare the presidential winner.
- Registered voters: 7.2 million
- Estimated turnout: 60%
- Women on the roll: 57%
- National Assembly seats: 229
- Local government councillors: 509
What’s at stake and the paths ahead
The election unfolded against a harsh economic backdrop. Inflation—driven by a sharp currency devaluation, import costs, and persistent fuel shortages—has squeezed family budgets and tested public patience. Queues at service stations, rising transport costs, and high food prices have become part of daily life. The kwacha’s value shifts and the struggle to secure foreign exchange have hit import-reliant sectors hard, from fuel and fertilizers to medicines and spare parts.
Chakwera’s allies say the administration stabilized key programs and worked to rebuild relationships with multilateral lenders. They argue the government had little choice but to confront structural problems—foreign exchange shortages, an overvalued currency, and debt pressures—that built up over years. Supporters point to ongoing fiscal and monetary adjustments and efforts to strengthen oversight of public spending.
Opposition voices counter that reforms have been uneven and the pain has fallen heavily on households. They highlight repeated fuel shortages, the cost-of-living spike, and joblessness, insisting the government should have moved faster to unclog supply chains, protect the poor, and spur private investment. Peter Mutharika has pitched a return to steadier hands and market confidence, promising to ease pressure on consumers and revive growth. Joyce Banda has campaigned on social protection and local enterprise, tapping into frustration at stalled incomes.
Complicating the picture is coalition arithmetic. The United Transformation Movement (UTM) pulled out of the Tonse Alliance in July 2024, leaving the Malawi Congress Party to stand largely on its own. If no candidate crosses 50% in this round, bargaining will intensify. Kingmaker endorsements could decide the runoff, with parties trading support for cabinet posts, legislative cooperation, and policy concessions.
The ballot goes beyond State House. Voters also chose 229 members of the National Assembly and 509 local councillors using first-past-the-post rules. Those results will shape how any new president governs. A hung or fragmented parliament would force cross-party deals, especially on budgets and reforms. Control of local councils matters too: that’s where services like water, waste management, and market infrastructure either improve or stall.
Malawi’s recent history is a reminder that trust in institutions is earned, not assumed. The Constitutional Court’s decision to nullify the 2019 presidential election and order fresh polls in 2020 set a precedent for legal recourse and tighter processes. That ruling also ushered in the 50%+1 requirement. Today’s contest is, in part, a stress test of those reforms—can the system deliver a result that is both accurate and widely accepted?
Counting itself is a race against time and rumor. Results sheets are posted at polling stations before being ferried to district tally centers. Party agents tally along, while observers watch for arithmetic errors and procedural missteps. The MEC has urged citizens to rely on official channels and avoid spreading screenshots or partial tallies that lack context. After district verification, figures move to the national level, where they are reconciled and checked against original forms.
Beyond the numbers lie real costs and choices. Maize prices, transport fares, and school fees have outpaced incomes for years. Persistent blackouts and high diesel prices weigh on small businesses, from maize mills to refrigeration in township shops. Aid inflows and loan programs help, but they come with conditions and timelines that rarely match the urgency in household budgets. Voters know this, which is why economic credibility loomed larger than personality on the campaign trail.
Whoever wins faces a tight policy lane. Stabilization requires discipline—on borrowing, on subsidies, on public payrolls. Growth needs investor confidence and reliable basics: electricity, fuel, and predictable rules. Agriculture still anchors the economy, yet climate shocks have cut yields and pushed up prices. Urban unemployment and rural underemployment both demand attention, and neither will shift without focus on transport corridors, storage, irrigation, and the logistics that link farms to markets.
Anti-corruption also sits near the top of the to-do list. Voters are wary of grand announcements that fade once headlines move on. Procurement, fuel supply contracts, and forex allocation are persistent pain points. A credible push means transparent tenders, digital trails for major transactions, and visible consequences when rules are broken. Clean-ups that bite can unlock donor trust and crowd in private capital.
Security has been steady so far, with police visible at tally centers and patrols around warehouses holding sensitive materials. Civil society groups have set up hotlines to log incidents and help calm tensions where rumors flare. Community radio and local leaders play a big role here: timely, verified information reduces the space for speculation. The commission has reminded parties of their code of conduct—no premature victory claims, no intimidation, and no interference with results management.
As the hours pass, attention shifts to potential runoff strategies. Turnout will be key a second time. Mobilizing supporters for a quick return to the polls is tough in a tight economy, and coalition endorsement letters are only the starting point—local structures need to believe in the deal. Messaging will likely sharpen: one side making the case for policy continuity and steady reforms, the other promising relief and a faster route to lower prices and fuel stability.
For many Malawians, this vote is less about political nostalgia and more about day-to-day survival. Families want a government that can keep fuel on the market, stabilize the currency, and ease the cost of essentials. Small victories—shorter fuel queues, fewer blackouts, predictable maize supplies—will count more than any grand plan. That is the bar both old and new leaders must clear.
The MEC’s timeline is now in focus. Districts continue to feed results into the national tabulation. Parties will scrutinize every constituency and ward. If no one crosses the 50% threshold, the commission must prepare a runoff within 30 days, re-deploy materials, refresh training, and re-brief presiding officers. Logistically, it’s demanding. Politically, it will be decisive.
Until then, the watchwords are patience and proof. The process must show its workings—forms posted, figures consistent, objections recorded, and decisions explained. Only then will the final number, whether first-round win or path to a runoff, carry the authority Malawians demanded when they reset the rules after 2019. However long the count takes, the prize is the same: a peaceful transfer or renewal of power under rules that everyone recognizes as fair.
As night turns into another day at the tally centers, the Malawi election hangs on the arithmetic—and on whether those hard economic questions that drove voters to the polls will get clearer answers once the winner is known.