Overview

• Voters will choose a president alongside parliamentary and local representatives on September 16, with results expected about a week after ballots are cast.
• An IPOR survey released last week put Peter Mutharika at 41% and President Lazarus Chakwera at 31%, making a second round likely under the 50%+1 rule.
• Inflation near 30%, persistent fuel and foreign-exchange shortages, and food insecurity dominate voter concerns, following the IMF’s suspension of a $175 million program in May.
• The field features 17 contenders, including former presidents Mutharika and Joyce Banda, Vice President Michael Usi, and ex–central bank governor Dalitso Kabambe, who could influence a runoff.
• Reforms since the 2019 annulment include judicial involvement in election management and an August amendment letting deployed election, security and party staff vote where they work, a move criticized for timing and for excluding journalists and independent observers.