Former Malawi President Peter Mutharika has taken an early lead in the country’s 2025 presidential election, according to partial results released by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC). The election, held on September 16, has once again put Mutharika head-to-head with incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera in a contest that has drawn wide attention both at home and abroad.
Preliminary results from nine of Malawi’s 36 councils show Mutharika, who is running on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ticket, with about 51 percent of the votes tallied so far. President Chakwera, representing the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), follows with close to 39 percent. While these figures give Mutharika an early advantage, election officials and observers have cautioned that it is still too soon to predict the final outcome.
Under Malawi’s election law, a candidate must secure more than 50 percent of valid votes to avoid a runoff. If no candidate achieves this threshold, a second round will be held between the two top contenders. With less than one-third of councils reporting, the MEC has urged patience as the vote-counting process continues.
This is the fourth time Mutharika, 85, and Chakwera, 70, are facing each other in a presidential race. In 2019, Mutharika was declared winner, but the results were annulled by the courts over irregularities. The rerun in 2020 saw Chakwera win and assume office, raising hopes of reform and economic renewal. Five years later, Malawians are once again choosing between two familiar figures, each promising solutions to the country’s challenges.
The election comes at a difficult time for Malawi. The nation has been grappling with high inflation, which has remained above 20 percent for more than three years, pushing up the cost of basic goods and fuel. On top of that, natural disasters, including prolonged droughts and the destruction caused by Cyclone Freddy, have worsened food insecurity and placed further strain on struggling households. Many voters say the economy is their biggest concern in this election.
Both leading parties—the DPP and the MCP—have expressed confidence in their chances, with supporters on each side claiming momentum. However, the MEC has insisted that only the official tally will determine the outcome. Provisional results are expected to be finalized and released by September 24, 2025.
Political analysts note that early leads in Malawi can sometimes be misleading, as votes from rural areas, which often arrive later, can shift the balance in tight contests. While Mutharika’s supporters see the early lead as a sign of his political comeback, Chakwera’s camp remains hopeful that his base, particularly in rural strongholds, will help him close the gap.
As the counting continues, Malawians remain watchful. For some, the early numbers reflect frustration with the current administration’s handling of the economy. For others, it is too early to celebrate or despair, with the final outcome still uncertain.
The next few days will be critical as Malawi waits to see whether Mutharika can sustain his early lead or if Chakwera will mount a late comeback. What is clear is that the result will shape the country’s direction at a time when many citizens are demanding urgent solutions to economic hardship.
Photo Courtesy of The Times Group
