Lilongwe –A new political opinion poll conducted by research organisation Reality on the Ground suggests that Malawi’s incumbent President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, is poised to take an early lead ahead of the highly anticipated September 2025 presidential election.
According to the survey, Dr Chakwera is currently commanding 47.5% of prospective votes — a significant margin over his closest rival, former President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who stands at 35%.
The poll, which sampled 1,200 respondents from all regions of the country, places former President Joyce Banda of the People’s Party (PP) in third position with 8%, followed by Dr Dalitso Kabambe of UTM at 5%, and Atupele Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) trailing with 2%.
Notably, 2.5% of those surveyed said they were still undecided on who they would support in the upcoming election.
Kenneth Bwanali, the Executive Director of Reality on the Ground, said the poll reflects public sentiment at the time it was conducted — notably before Dr Chakwera unveiled Bishop Vitumbiko Mumba as his running mate.
Political observers say this development could further bolster Chakwera’s campaign, potentially tipping him over the 50% +1 threshold required for an outright first-round victory — a feat many are already describing as “Chakwera versus the rest.”
