The September 16 elections remain on a knife’s edge, with early results pointing to a fiercely contested race between President Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Arthur Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Partial tallies from across the country show Mutharika performing strongly in his southern base, while Chakwera is holding firm in the north and central regions. With the central region — the heartland of MCP support — yet to be fully counted, analysts say the final outcome is far from settled.
What is already clear is that neither candidate appears to be running away with the race. The margins are narrow, and projections suggest that a decisive “50 percent plus one” majority may be out of reach. That scenario would automatically trigger a re-run, to be held within 60 days.
Insiders in both camps admit the election is unusually tense, with each side watching closely as figures trickle in from remaining districts. MCP strategists in particular remain upbeat, insisting that once the central region’s heavy votes are counted, the contest could tilt in their favour — or, at the very least, deny Mutharika an outright win and force a second round.
For now, the race remains too close to call, and the possibility of Malawians heading back to the ballot box for a run-off grows stronger by the day.
