Weary Malawians look to this week’s presidential election as nation grapples with an economic crisis

Article content

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Malawi is holding a presidential election this week as one of Africa’s poorer countries grapples with an economic crisis, food and fuel shortages — and memories of a vote six years ago that was canceled and a redo ordered because of widespread irregularities.

Article content

Incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, a former theology instructor and preacher, was the challenger in the 2019 election that was won by then-incumbent Peter Mutharika, only for it to be nullified by the country’s highest court.

Article content

Article content

Article content

The following year, Chakwera won a redo of the election.

Article content

Article content

This time, Chakwera, 70, of the Malawi Congress Party is seeking a second term. Mutharika, 85, of the Democratic Progressive Party, is hoping to return to the leadership.

Article content

They two are seen as the main contenders in Tuesday’s election, which has a lineup of 17 presidential candidates, including another former president, Joyce Banda. Malawians will also elect lawmakers to Parliament and more than 500 local council members.

Article content

A change in the nation’s mood

Article content

Five years ago, Chakwera’s eventual victory came after months of street protests in his support. But things have changed after five hard years and this vote takes place amid economic turmoil and shaky trust in public institutions in the southern African nation of 21 million.

Article content

Inflation and the cost of living have risen dramatically, and there are critical shortages of fuel and sugar.

Article content

Cyclone Freddy in 2023 and an El Nino-inspired drought in 2024 destroyed crops and worsened food insecurity. A plane crash last year killed Vice President Saulos Chilima, a man seen as a leader in waiting.

Article content

Article content

“Malawians are weary,” said political analyst Boniface Dulani. “They want results, not just rhetoric. And this election is a mirror of that frustration.”

Article content

According to Dulani, Mutharika’s strong challenge to return to the presidency despite the flawed 2019 election was not a reflection of his popularity but rather disillusionment with Chakwera.

Article content

A new election format

Article content

The fraudulent 2019 vote prompted a change in Malawian electoral law, and this election will be decided by the 50%+1 format _ meaning the winner needs to get more than 50% of the vote.

Article content

Analysts see a strong likelihood that no one will get a majority in the first round of voting, forcing a runoff, likely between Chakwera and Mutharika.

Article content

The most prominent issues for voters in a country often rated as among the least developed in the world is the cost of food and fertilizer.

Article content

Malawi is landlocked and relies heavily on agriculture, with more than 80% of the population living in rural areas and relying on small-scale farming. Its biggest export is tobacco.

Article content

Mutharika has campaigned on a return to “trusted leadership” and some agree.