Malawi's Declining Economy in Focus as Presidential Polls Close

Tue Sep 30 2025 06:27:16 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Malawians head to the polls amidst economic turmoil, with rising inflation and unemployment dominating conversations. President Chakwera's re-election bid and his key competitor, Mutharika, lead the race in a country hoping for change.

As polling concludes in Malawi, voters are anxiously awaiting the results reflecting their desire for economic reform. The elections saw thousands casting ballots for leadership positions in the context of significant financial challenges, with inflation exceeding 30%. President Chakwera and former President Mutharika emerge as frontrunners in the political contest, with a potential runoff if no candidate secures a majority.

Malawians are waiting to find out who their next president will be as polls have closed in most parts of the country and counting has started.

Thousands of people queued outside polling stations on Tuesday to vote for a president, MPs, and local councillors, keenly hoping to effect change in a country swamped by economic troubles. Some are still voting in areas where polling started late.

In his campaign for a second term, current President Lazarus Chakwera pledged to fix Malawi's economy - as did his main rival, octogenarian former leader Peter Mutharika.

If no candidate wins more than half the votes, the top two contenders will head to a runoff.

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 the AFP press agency before heading out to vote.

Malawi has long been one of the poorest countries in the world, but recent times have been especially punishing.

Food costs have been rising at more than 30% in the last year and wages have not kept pace. The high inflation rate has partly been put down to a shortage of foreign currency - known as forex - in the banks.

There is a lot happening, especially concerning about forex, unemployment, Rachel Chaguza, a 26-year-old university graduate who sells flowers, told AFP after voting.

President Chakwera, who has promised to tackle this shortage, stood in line to vote with residents at his home village, Malembo, about 56km (35 miles) northeast of the capital city Lilongwe.

The election is effectively a two-horse race between Chakwera and the man he beat in 2020, 85-year-old Mutharika. However, there are 15 other candidates, including another former president and the country's only female head of state, Joyce Banda.

As counting begins, the Malawi Electoral Commission has until September 24 to announce the presidential results and until September 30 for the parliamentary results.