Overview

• Malawians vote Tuesday for president, Parliament and more than 500 local council seats, with 17 presidential candidates led by Lazarus Chakwera and Peter Mutharika.
• The 50%+1 requirement raises the prospect of a second round, and results are expected to take days under a process that allows up to eight days for the final tally.
• The campaign has centered on fuel and foreign‑currency shortages, storm‑ and drought‑driven crop losses, and inflation that critics say has risen to about 27%.
• Chakwera has pledged to ease the cost of living, while Mutharika promises a return to what he calls trusted leadership with economic reforms and job creation.
• The electoral commission faces heightened scrutiny following the 2019 annulment, with added controversy over Mutharika’s choice of the former elections chief as his running mate.