Malawi, a nation often described as the warm heart of Africa, found itself at a pivotal crossroads on September 16, 2025. As the sun rose over the country’s rolling hills and rural villages, thousands of Malawians queued outside more than 15,000 polling stations to cast their ballots in closely watched presidential, parliamentary, and local council elections. For many, the stakes could not have been higher. Years of economic hardship, soaring inflation, and persistent fuel shortages have tested the patience—and resilience—of its people, leaving them eager for change and hopeful that their votes might finally tip the balance.
According to BBC reporting, voters began lining up well before dawn, with some so determined to have their say that they camped overnight outside polling stations. One woman at Malembo Primary School told the BBC she was so eager to vote that she spent the night there, undeterred by the chill or uncertainty. "We voted because of the freedom we have here. In other countries people don't have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote," voter Mercy Nedson Chimbewa told BBC reporters, capturing the spirit of the day.
The presidential contest has been widely characterized as a two-horse race between incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, aged 70, and his 85-year-old predecessor, Peter Mutharika. Both men are political heavyweights with deep roots in Malawi’s modern history. Chakwera, who won a historic rerun election in 2020 after the courts nullified Mutharika’s 2019 victory due to widespread irregularities, campaigned on promises to fix the battered economy. Mutharika, meanwhile, sought a comeback, arguing that he could steer the country away from its current crises.
That’s not to say the ballot was short on choices. As reported by the Associated Press, a total of 17 presidential candidates, including former President Joyce Banda and Vice President Michael Usi, vied for the top spot. Yet, as analysts and voters alike acknowledged, the real contest was between Chakwera and Mutharika—two men whose rivalry has now defined Malawi’s political landscape for nearly a decade.
The backdrop to this election is one of acute economic distress. Food prices have soared by more than 30% in the past year, according to BBC analysis, and wages have failed to keep pace. The country’s banks have struggled with a chronic shortage of foreign currency, or forex, further fueling inflation. Power outages and fuel shortages have become a daily ordeal, with motorists forming long, snaking lines outside petrol stations. Even as people waited to vote, many could be seen queuing for fuel, a stark reminder of the country’s ongoing struggles.
“There is anger in us. I want to change this government. I want young people to be in good jobs,” Ettah Nyasulu, a 28-year-old waitress, told AFP before casting her vote. Rachel Chaguza, a 26-year-old university graduate now selling flowers to get by, echoed the frustration: “There is a lot happening, especially concerning about forex, unemployment. We must scrutinise what is going wrong and change things for the better.”
Natural disasters have only deepened the crisis. Cyclone Freddy in 2023 and a severe drought in 2024, as reported by AP, destroyed crops and left more than 80% of Malawi’s 21 million people—most of them rural and dependent on agriculture—facing even greater hardship. The tragic death of Vice President Saulos Chilima in a military plane crash last year further unsettled the political landscape, leaving a leadership vacuum that both major candidates sought to fill.
Despite these challenges, the election itself proceeded with remarkable calm. The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), led by chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja, reported that voting was largely smooth at the more than 15,000 polling stations nationwide. There were a few hiccups—Reuters noted delays at some centers due to malfunctioning biometric fingerprint readers—but these were quickly managed. The MEC made special provisions for illiterate voters, allowing them to mark ballots with inked fingerprints. Social media influencers were reminded not to livestream or photograph their ballots, a measure intended to preserve the secrecy and integrity of the vote.
By a few hours before polls closed at 14:00 GMT, about 3.7 million people—roughly half of those registered—had cast their ballots, according to Mtalimanja. This turnout was lower than in previous years, with only 65% of eligible voters registering, down from 80% in 2019. Still, the sense of civic duty was palpable. “For too long politicians have snubbed us, but today we are the kingmakers,” Patrick Holeya, a 48-year-old father of six from Thyolo, told AP, after voting for Mutharika.
As the polls closed and counting began, early results suggested a tight contest. BBC Africa reported that Mutharika took an early lead with about 30% of the initial vote count, but with so many candidates in the race, neither he nor Chakwera was expected to secure the outright majority needed to avoid a runoff. Malawian electoral law now requires the winner to receive more than 50% of the vote, a change implemented after the tumultuous 2019 election. If no candidate achieves this threshold, the top two will face off in a runoff within 30 days of the results announcement.
Security around the tallying process was tight, with the MEC working closely with the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force to ensure safety and transparency at all tally centers. Mtalimanja assured the public that results would be announced within the legally mandated timeframe—by September 24 for the presidential vote and by September 30 for the parliamentary contest. “We don begin collate results from polling stations across di kontri and we dey transmit di forms physically to constituency tally centres for all councils. Di electronic transmission go start for di Constituency tally centres,” she explained, according to BBC Pidgin coverage.
President Chakwera, accompanied by his wife and a security detail, cast his vote at his home village of Malembo, about 56 kilometers northeast of Lilongwe. Mutharika, too, voted in his home district, telling reporters, “It will bring a new government and maybe the new government will try its best to correct some of the problems.” Chakwera, for his part, acknowledged the country’s challenges but insisted he had concrete plans to address them, dismissing his rivals’ promises as empty.
As Malawians await the official results, there is a palpable sense of anticipation—and anxiety—across the country. Will this election bring the change so many crave? Or will it reinforce the status quo? One thing is certain: for millions of Malawians, the ballot box remains a powerful tool of hope, even in the toughest of times.
