Malawi's former President Peter Mutharika has taken a comfortable lead in the country's presidential race, with two-thirds of districts having reported provisional results. The 85-year-old has received around 66% of the valid votes counted so far, with his closest rival, the incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, 70, trailing on around 24%. Results declared so far indicate that Mutharika has won in areas known to be Chakwera strongholds, including the capital, Lilongwe, and Nkhotakota.
However, Chakwera's camp has not given up, emphasizing that as further results come in from other regions, his vote will increase, potentially leading to a runoff. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to be declared the winner, and Malawians are keenly waiting for the final result from last Tuesday's election. The Malawi Electoral Commission has until the end of Wednesday to announce it.
At least two of the 12 districts still to declare results have a large number of registered voters, and Chakwera's aides believe he will perform well there, particularly in rural areas around Lilongwe and Dedza. Meanwhile, two other districts, where Mutharika is expected to excel, have seen their results withheld as the electoral commission verifies their accuracy.
The commission has pledged to uphold transparency, accuracy, and credibility, particularly after the constitutional court annulled Mutharika's victory in 2019 due to irregularities. Chakwera had won the rerun by a significant margin, but his presidency has been marred by economic crises, high inflation, food, fuel shortages, and persistent power cuts. On Friday, Chakwera's party revealed it had identified irregularities and serious anomalies in the results and requested a physical audit from the electoral commission. Additionally, police reported the arrest of eight data entry clerks accused of attempting to manipulate results.
However, Chakwera's camp has not given up, emphasizing that as further results come in from other regions, his vote will increase, potentially leading to a runoff. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to be declared the winner, and Malawians are keenly waiting for the final result from last Tuesday's election. The Malawi Electoral Commission has until the end of Wednesday to announce it.
At least two of the 12 districts still to declare results have a large number of registered voters, and Chakwera's aides believe he will perform well there, particularly in rural areas around Lilongwe and Dedza. Meanwhile, two other districts, where Mutharika is expected to excel, have seen their results withheld as the electoral commission verifies their accuracy.
The commission has pledged to uphold transparency, accuracy, and credibility, particularly after the constitutional court annulled Mutharika's victory in 2019 due to irregularities. Chakwera had won the rerun by a significant margin, but his presidency has been marred by economic crises, high inflation, food, fuel shortages, and persistent power cuts. On Friday, Chakwera's party revealed it had identified irregularities and serious anomalies in the results and requested a physical audit from the electoral commission. Additionally, police reported the arrest of eight data entry clerks accused of attempting to manipulate results.
