Counting is under way in Malawi after a presidential election that comes as the southeast African nation faces its worst economic crisis in decades, with soaring inflation, food shortages and the mounting impacts of climate change.
Seventeen candidates are running for president, but the race is widely viewed as a contest between incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, 70, and his predecessor Peter Mutharika, 85.
The rivals have met twice at the ballot box: first in 2014, when Mutharika won, and again in 2020, when Chakwera triumphed in a rerun with 59 percent after the original vote was annulled for irregularities.
Long lines formed outside polling stations on Tuesday morning, before the turnout fell sharply later in the day. By mid-afternoon, the electoral commission reported only 51 percent turnout, compared with 64 percent in 2020.
Both Chakwera, an evangelical pastor, and Mutharika, a former law professor, face allegations of cronyism and corruption.
However, analysts say none of the other candidates, including former President Joyce Banda, the only woman in the race, has been able to break the dominance of the two frontrunners.
Chakwera is seeking a second term on the promise to fix the economy and restore confidence in government. Mutharika has campaigned on his record of infrastructure investment, though his time in office was also marked by corruption scandals.
It comes as Malawi’s 21.6 million people are grappling with inflation above 27 percent, foreign currency shortages, and chronic fuel disruptions. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, especially tobacco, but has been battered by the climate crisis.
In 2023, Cyclone Freddy killed more than 1,200 people in Malawi and devastated farmland, while recurring droughts have worsened food insecurity. The World Bank says 70 percent of Malawians live on less than $2.15 a day.
Alongside the presidential vote, Malawians also elected members of parliament and local councillors across 35 local governments.
If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off will be held within 60 days. Provisional results from Tuesday’s first round are expected by Thursday.
