Malawi presidential elections: Who is running and what’s at stake?

Malawians are voting to elite their adjacent president amid a deepening economical situation successful 1 of Africa’s poorest and astir climate-vulnerable countries.

The tiny Southeast African federation has been deed with double-digit ostentation that has caused nutrient prices to skyrocket for respective months now. It came aft aggravated drought events past year. Earlier, successful 2023, Cyclone Freddy, which struck the region, deed Malawi the hardest, sidesplitting much than 1,000 radical and devastating livelihoods.

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In Tuesday’s election, voters are besides choosing parliamentarians and section councillors crossed 35 section governments.

Malawi is astir known for its tourer hotspots, specified arsenic Lake Malawi, Africa’s third-largest freshwater lake, arsenic good arsenic quality and wildlife parks.

The state has a colonisation of 21.6 million. Lilongwe is the superior city, and Blantyre is the commercialized nervus centre.

Here’s what to cognize astir the elections:

How does voting happen?

The elections began successful the greeting connected Tuesday and volition extremity by evening.

Some 7.2 cardinal radical are registered to ballot crossed 35 section authorities authorities, according to the electoral commission.

To look arsenic president, a campaigner indispensable summation much than 50 percent of the vote. If not, past a run-off indispensable beryllium held. Presidential results volition beryllium published by September 24.

A full of 299 constituency parliament members and 509 councillors volition beryllium elected. Parliamentary results volition beryllium published by September 30.

Who are the cardinal contenders?

Seventeen statesmanlike candidates are moving for the post. However, the contention is mostly considered a two-horse contention betwixt incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera and erstwhile person Peter Mutharika.

Malawi Congress Party supporters clasp a poster showing President Lazarus Chakwera astatine a run rally successful Blantyre, connected September 7, 2025 [Thoko Chikondi/AP]

Lazarus Chakwera: The 70-year-old president and person of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is hoping to unafraid his 2nd and — per the constitution —  last term.

The erstwhile preacher’s triumph successful 2020 was historic, aft a tribunal ruled that determination were irregularities successful the 2019 election, and ordered a re-run. Chakwera’s triumph successful that 2nd vote marked the archetypal clip successful African past that an absorption campaigner won a re-run election.

However, Chakwera’s tenure has been marked by precocious levels of ostentation and, much recently, substance shortages. There person besides been galore allegations of corruption, peculiarly nepotism, against him. In 2021, the president made headlines erstwhile helium appointed his daughter, Violet Chakwera Mwasinga, arsenic a diplomat to Brussels.

In his campaigns, Chakwera has asked for much clip to enactment connected easing the country’s existent economical stagnation. He and officials successful his authorities person besides blamed immoderate of the hardships connected past year’s drought, a cholera outbreak betwixt 2022 and 2024, and the devastation of Cyclone Freddy successful February 2023.

Supporters constituent retired that Chakwera has already overseen large roadworthy operation enactment crossed Malawi and restarted bid services aft much than 30 years.

He antecedently ran successful 2014, but was unsuccessful.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) person and statesmanlike campaigner Peter Mutharika speaks to supporters astatine a run rally successful Zomba, Malawi, connected September 10, 2025 [Thoko Chikondi/AP]

Peter Mutharika: The 85-year-old person of the absorption Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is looking to marque a comeback aft his earlier second-term bid was defeated by Chakwera successful 2020.

A erstwhile instrumentality professor, Mutharika has campaigned connected the economical gains helium said Malawi witnessed nether him, arguing that things were amended during his tenure than nether the contiguous leadership. He led Malawi from 2014 to 2020.

While helium is credited with lowering ostentation and kickstarting large infrastructure projects, Mutharika besides faced corruption scandals successful his time. In 2018, Malawians took to the streets to protestation his alleged engagement successful a bribery ungraded that had seen a businessman wage a 200,000 kickback to his party. Mutharika was aboriginal cleared of wrongdoing.

Critics person speculated astir Mutharika’s age, noting that helium has not been peculiarly progressive during the campaign. Mutharika is the member of erstwhile President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died successful bureau successful 2012.

Other notable statesmanlike contenders include:

• Joyce Banda – Malawi’s lone pistillate president from 2012 to 2014, from the People’s Party. She was formerly vice president nether Bingu wa Mutharika.
• Michael Usi – the erstwhile vice president who is from the Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu party.

What’s astatine involvement successful this election?

Struggling economy

Although Malawi exports tobacco, tea, and different cultivation products, the state is mostly aid-dependent. It is besides nether unit from accumulated outer debt.

For Malawian voters, rising prices of nutrient and mundane items are the astir pressing contented connected the ballot. Food costs person gone up by astir 30 percent successful the past year, but salaries person mostly stayed the same. Meanwhile, the costs of fertiliser for the 80 percent of Malawians who past connected subsistence farming person risen.

Economists chalk up the stagnation situation to a deficiency of overseas currency, which has constricted important imports, including fertilisers and fuel.

Presently, the state is facing terrible substance shortages, with hundreds queuing up astatine substance stations daily. Chakwera has blamed corrupt officials, who helium says are deliberately sabotaging the substance markets, for the problem.

In May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) terminated a $175 cardinal indebtedness programme aft it failed to springiness aboriginal results. Only $35 cardinal had been disbursed. There volition apt beryllium negotiations for a caller IMF programme aft the elections, officials person said.

Earlier, successful February, disgruntled citizens took to the streets Lilongwe and Blantyre successful protestation against the rising outgo of living. Some voters, peculiarly the young people, consciousness that not overmuch volition alteration whether they ballot oregon not.

While Mutharika has campaigned connected his economical grounds portion successful office, Chakwera has pledged a currency transportation programme of 500,000 Malawi kwacha ($290) for newborns, which they tin entree astatine the property of 18.

Workers determination bags of fertiliser donated to Malawi by a Russian institution [File: Eldson Chagara/Reuters]

Corruption

Corruption crises person riddled some Mutharika and Chakwera’s governments, thing galore Malawians accidental they are bushed of.

While Chakwera has talked pugnacious connected warring graft since becoming caput of authorities successful 2020, helium has faced disapproval for nepotism scandals and for handling corruption cases selectively.

Meanwhile, campaigner Joyce Banda has besides promised to combat corruption if elected. As president, Banda fired her full furniture successful 2013, pursuing quality that immoderate authorities officials were caught with ample amounts of currency successful their homes.

Drought and utmost weather

Malawi is 1 of the astir climate-vulnerable countries, though it does not lend importantly to emissions. With the bulk of radical relying connected subsistence farming for food, utmost upwind events often deed Malawi particularly hard.

Climate activistic Chikondi Chabvuta told Al Jazeera that governments successful the past person not invested capable successful gathering systems, specified arsenic nutrient systems, that tin sorb clime shocks. Women and girls, successful peculiar she said, are often astir affected by the treble whammy of upwind disasters and ostentation that often follows.

“Creating a buffer for the radical impacted should beryllium a precedence due to the fact that subject is telling america these events are going to get worse,” Chabvuta said. “Life for Malawians has to get amended by policies that amusement seriousness,” successful tackling biology challenges, she added.

Millions of radical were impacted for respective months successful 2024, aft a terrible determination drought destroyed harvests, driven by El Nino upwind patterns.

According to the World Food Program, hundreds of thousands crossed the state were forced to trust connected nutrient assistance for endurance arsenic Malawi declared an emergency.

In February 2023, Cyclone Freddy, which was 1 of the deadliest storms to deed Africa successful the past 2 decades, caused 1,216 fatalities. It besides wiped retired crops and caused akin nutrient shortages.