Malawi Election 2025

The 16th of September was voting day for the Malawi General Election 2025. The current President and 70 year old leader of the ruling Malawi Congress Party Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera hadn't made a speech in Chitipa but had  visited Chitipa the day of the Chitipa Utd v Blue Eagles match. He had been late and the game was delayed by 30 minutes which made the Chitipa Utd team and the expectant crowd angry. He eventually sneaked in just before half time. I sensed he is not a popular man in these parts. I had met Issac Mwepa, the MCP candidate for Chitipa North who I had previously met in 2018. He invited me to his constituency but he couldn't get his PA system working so I decided to decline his offer. As we were waiting he was freely and openly handing out money to people. As we were chatting a lady came up to him who had been at school with Issac. He pulled out a huge wad of 2000 MK notes and gave her some. The DPP leader the 85 year old former President Arthur Peter Mutarika hadn't visited either but had sent his 'running mate' Jane Ansah, the former head of the Malawi Electoral Commission who had got in trouble in 2019 when some results sheets had been altered by 'Tipex'. The north of Malawi has historically suffered in elections because of the lack of population to vote for 'one of them'. Back in my time in 1999 there was the AFORD party who were strong in the north but these days less so. In 2019, Mutarika had been announced as the winner but amid rumours of corruption and vote rigging, the High Court made African history by annulling the result. In the re-run Chakwera won. The days following the election, the MEC warned candidates not to announce victory and 8 people involved in the counting were arrested for vote irregularities. By the 21st there was still no clear result, so Malawians waited. The news came on 24th September that Dr Lazarus Chakwera 33% had conceded defeat to Arthur Mutarika 57%. Malawians had voted for 'a better past' they had under Mutarika in his first term, even though it was marred by corruption allegations and the high court annulling his victory in 2019. Ordinary Malawians just want the price of basic items that they need everyday such as fuel, cooking oil, sugar, washing powder, rice, maize and beans to be affordable. Not much to ask.