Malawi on 2025-09-16 began counting votes in a presidential election that could go to a runoff and that arrived after years of economic strain.
Voters were choosing between a second term for President Lazarus Chakwera and another chance for former President Peter Mutharika, with 16 other candidates also on the ballot. The AP report says the contest is widely seen as a two-horse race between Chakwera and Mutharika, despite the presence of other familiar figures including former president Joyce Banda and Vice President Michael Usi.
Economic hardship dominated the campaign. Inflation has surged, fuel and sugar shortages have become part of daily life and food prices have risen sharply, making basic items more difficult to afford. The report also points to damage from Cyclone Freddy in 2023 and an El Niño-driven drought in 2024, both of which worsened crop losses in a country where most people rely on agriculture.
The election is especially significant because Malawi’s 2019 presidential result was nullified by a court over widespread irregularities and then re-run in 2020, when Chakwera won the redo. That history shaped the current electoral rules, which now require a winner to take more than 50% of the vote. With no candidate expected to clear that threshold in the first round, a runoff appears likely.
Polling took place across the country, and the AP report says counting began by late afternoon after polls closed. The Malawi Electoral Commission is under pressure to show the vote is free and fair, particularly after the experience of the disputed 2019 contest.
Mutharika, who previously served as president from 2014 to 2020, remains a powerful figure in Malawian politics. Chakwera’s path to office in 2020 came after the court said Mutharika’s earlier win had been fraudulent. The political rivalry between the two men remains the central dynamic in the election.
For many voters, the choice is less about ideology than performance. The AP report quotes one voter describing the high cost of living and hoping for leadership that cares about ordinary people. That sentiment captures the larger mood: a country facing severe economic pressure and looking for a government that can deliver relief quickly.
The results must be announced within a week, and any runoff would have to take place within 30 days. Until then, the country waits to see whether the election becomes a mandate for continuity or the start of another transfer of power.
