What is at stake as mouths of cost of living?

The Malawianos have voted in presidential and parliamentary elections, after about five turbulent years that have seen the worsening of the economic crisis in the South of Africa nation.

President Lazarus Chakwera is competing for a second term, his main rival is Peter Mutharika, an octogenarian that has previously been in office.

In cities, the campaign has been eclipsed by the shortage of fuel, which has led to long and frustrating lines in the service stations. The growing cost of living has also been a great concern for voters.

The vote count has begun and a presidential runoff will be carried out if no candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes cast in the elections on Tuesday.

The Electoral Commission has until the end of September 24 to announce the presidential result in the survey on Tuesday and end of September 30 for parliamentary elections.

But the results could be announced before those dates.

The 7.2 million registered people to vote in three elections:

• Presidential – There are 17 candidates to choose
• Parliamentary – 229 The parliamentarians of the constituency will be chosen
• Local – 509 councilor posts are at stake.

Most electoral centers opened at 04:00 GMT.

Among the 17 applicants are two main leaders.

Chakwera and Mutharika have faced each other in the surveys for the fourth time, although the third time ended without counting.

Mutharika defeated Chakwera for the first time in 2014, but when he was declared a winner about Chakwera in the next elections in 2019, the result was canceled. Chakwera won the restarted the following year.

Lázaro, Malawi Congress Party (MCP)

Chakwera, former professor and preacher of Theology, had no political experience when he emerged as leader of the MCP in 2013.

When he ran for president in 2014, he was not successful, but in 2020 he triumphed, Valuing the headline, Mutharika, in that unprecedented again.

Chakwera’s time in office has been tarnished by economic agitation and accusations of corruption. However, the 70 -year -old reintroduced trains in Malawi for the first time in more than three decades. It has also supervised the main road construction throughout the country.

Peter Mutharika – Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)

Mutharika, a former lawyer and 85 -year -old law professor, directed Malawi from 2014 to 2020.

He is the brother of the late President Bingu Wa Mutharika, who died in office in 2012.

Like Chakwera, Mutharika is also loaded with accusations of corruption and links with economic crises. However, their supporters would argue that the high current inflation rate (around 27%) is proof that Mutharika managed the economy better than its successor.

Mutharika’s age can count against him in this election: speculation about his health is abundant, especially because he has rarely seen public during the campaign period.

Other contenders who attract attention are the former president Joyce Band (People’s Party), current vice president Michael Uusi (Haughters do not have a crime) and former governor of the Bank of the Reserve A blessing blessings (UTM).

The economy

Malawi has long been one of the poorest countries in the world, but The last years have been especially punishing.

The country was Devastated by Ciclón Freddy That killed hundreds of people in 2023, then a drought swept southern Africa the following year. Food prices shot due to a shortage of crops, pushing many Malawios to extreme poverty.

Economists also leave Malawi’s current inflation problems in part to the shortage of foreign currencies, known as “Forex”, in banks.

In addition, Malawi has been forced to devalue your currency and was recently paralyzed by fuel shortage and power cuts nationwide.

Corruption

When Chakwera came to power, he promised to “clear the debris of corruption” that has long affected Malawi’s policy. His administration says that he has stood out in this area, but critics, including the influential Catholic Church, say this is not the case.

The skepticism was caused last year when the director of public prosecutions withdrew corruption charges against high profile figures.

In addition, the Anti -Corruption Office (ACB) has been without director since former Chief Martha Chizuma left more than a year ago.

For some, not to name a new head actively hinders the fight against corruption.

The previous administrations have also been pursued by graft accusations. For example, ACB accused Mutharika of receiving a bribery of a contract To supply food to the police, he denied having acted badly.

The band reputation was abolished by a scandal called “Cashgate” that occurred under his watch. It was authorized by the ACB of any irregularity.

The death of the former vice president

In June of last year, vice president Saulos Chilima died in a plane crash. Popular among young people, Chilima led the UTM party and could have been a key contender in the next elections, especially when it had fallen with the president.

Although two investigations, one carried out by the German Aviation Accident Agency and another by a commission designated by the Malawi government, did not find evidence of dirty game, some Malawianos continue to suspect from the authorities.

The opposition parties have been feeding this skepticism during their campaigns, referring to the Chakwera party as the “Chikangawa party” (the Chikangawa forest is the plane of the air accident).

Malawi was governed by the MCP of its independence in 1964 until the first survey of several parts of the country in 1994.

Since the change of a single party, the united democratic front, the DPP, the Popular Party and the MCP have enjoyed periods in power.

Chakwera’s victory with the MCP in 2020 was one of the most important moments in the political history of the country.

A general election had taken place the previous year and Mutharika was declared winner.

However, The Constitutional Court annulled the electionsSaying that there had been a generalized manipulation, including the use of TIPP-EXSUE correction fluid in results sheets.

The judges ordered a new execution by 2020, and Chakwera won with 59% of the votes after having associated with Chilima.

Although Mutharika described the “unacceptable” re-eject, the Constitutional Court won international praise for safeguarding democracy and refusing to be influenced by presidential power.

After the controversy of the 2019 elections, Malawi implemented a new system, where a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the total votes to win the presidency in the first round.

There is a great possibility that this year’s candidates do not reach the threshold, which means that an election of runoff will have to be held.

The MCP and the DPP will probably try to take the smallest parts on board to ensure a majority in the second round.

The actions of the Court after the vote of 2019 have given some Malaruís the faith in the electoral process.

However, in recent months, a series or civil society organizations and opposition parties have accused the Electoral Commission to favor the MCP, claiming that its senior management has links with the ruling party. The commission has firmly denied having been biased.

A protest in June requested the resignation of the senior commission officials was attacked by masked men and led to machetes, which caused concerns about freedom of expression in the period prior to the elections.

The assault was not an isolated incident: there have been numerous politically motivated violence reports before the general elections.