Both Chakwera, Mutharika Camps Claim Victory in Malawi’s Knife-Edge Election

By Advent Shoko

Lilongwe – Malawi’s tense presidential election has taken a dramatic turn, with both President Lazarus Chakwera and his predecessor Peter Mutharika declaring victory, even before the country’s electoral commission has released results.

Speaking in Lilongwe, commission chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja warned parties against premature announcements, stressing that only the commission is empowered to declare outcomes. She said:

“We urge all stakeholders to exercise patience. Results will only be released after every vote has been verified to safeguard the credibility of the process,”

The vote, held on Tuesday, is widely regarded as a close contest. Chakwera, 70, seeks a second term after defeating Mutharika in the annulled 2019 election re-run, while the 85-year-old opposition leader is eyeing a remarkable comeback.

Beyond the presidential race, Malawians also voted in parliamentary and local elections. The campaign was overshadowed by an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, nearly 30%, severe fuel shortages, and dwindling foreign currency reserves. In Lilongwe, a frozen chicken now costs about $20, in a nation where most people survive on less than $2 a day.

A winner must secure more than 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off. With nearly all ballots reportedly counted but not yet certified, tension is mounting. Memories of the disputed 2019 election, when the Constitutional Court annulled Mutharika’s win citing widespread irregularities, loom large over this poll.

For many Malawians, the wait for results is not just about who governs but whether the process itself will stand as a credible marker of the country’s fragile democracy.

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