LILONGWE – Former Malawi president Peter Mutharika is projected to have secured victory in last week’s presidential election with more than 56 percent of the vote, according to private broadcaster Times Television.
The broadcaster reported on Tuesday that its unofficial results dashboard placed the 85-year-old ahead of incumbent president Lazarus Chakwera. Official tallies released late Monday by the Malawi Electoral Commission also showed Mutharika with a strong lead.
The commission is expected to release more figures later today, with the final announcement due before the end of Wednesday. Malawi’s electoral law requires a candidate to win more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a second round. 
The September 16 poll was the fourth contest between Mutharika and Chakwera, 70, whose rivalry has defined Malawi’s politics in recent years. Their battle dates back to the annulled 2019 election, which the constitutional court threw out after finding irregularities on results sheets. Chakwera went on to win the 2020 re-run.
Mutharika, a former law professor, previously served as president from 2014 to 2020, a period marked by infrastructure development and reduced inflation but also accusations of cronyism, which he denied. Chakwera, a former pastor, came into office promising to tackle corruption, though critics now accuse his government of selective and slow action on graft cases.
