By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Malawi’s electoral commission on Wednesday announced that vote counting is underway following a presidential election on Tuesday overshadowed by high costs of living and chronic fuel shortages that have hampered the administration of the incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera.
Figures from the election authority early Wednesday indicates that more than 64 per cent of 7.2 million registered voters had cast their ballots in the presidential, parliamentary and local elections largely adjudged peaceful.
State of the southern African country’s economy shaped the election on Tuesday, as a leading candidate and former President Peter Mutharika promising solutions and a “return to proven leadership” in the country considered as one of the poorest.
17 candidates are testing their popularity among the voters, including former President Joyce Banda.
Observers said Chakwera’s closest rival is 85-year-old Mutharika, a retired law professor, who led the country from 2014 to 2020.
He lost power to Chakwera, 70, in an election rerun after the 2019 polls were nullified when courts upheld opposition claims that correction fluid was used to alter vote tallies.
While many voters said they wanted a change, others were willing to give Chakwera a second chance to fix an economy bogged down by inflation above 27 per cent.
Provisional results are expected after Thursday, with the election authority required to issue the verified result within eight days of the vote.
