2025 Malawian general election

The election was the second conducted under the two-round constitutional threshold introduced after the annulment of the 2019 Malawian general election and the subsequent fresh presidential election the following year that brought Lazarus Chakwera to power. In July 2024, the United Transformation Movement (UTM) withdrew from the governing Tonse Alliance, leaving the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to contest the elections on its own.^[2]

The president of Malawi is elected using a two-round system. Should no candidate secure an absolute majority in the first round, a run-off is held within 30 days. Members of the National Assembly are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting.^[3]

According to the Malawi Electoral Commission, 7.2 million voters were enrolled after the three registration phases, with women constituting 57% of the electorate.^[4] At 65%, the number of eligible voters who enrolled was less from the 80% recorded in 2019.^[5]

• Malawi Congress Party (MCP) – governing party of President Chakwera; running without the UTM following the collapse of the Tonse Alliance in 2024.^[2]
• Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – main opposition party; endorsed former president Peter Mutharika as its presidential candidate in August 2024.^[6]
• People's Party (PP) – led by former president Joyce Banda, who relaunched her national campaign in June 2025.^[7]
• United Democratic Front (UDF) – headed by Atupele Muluzi, which has indicated it may field its own ticket if no opposition alliance is formed.^[8]
• United Transformation Movement (UTM) – Following the death of founder Saulos Chilima, Vice-President Michael Usi became interim leader as per the party's constitution. He initially expressed interest in leading the party,^[9] but did not contest at the November 2024 convention,^[10] where Dalitso Kabambe was elected as the new party leader.^[11]

• Lazarus Chakwera – was the incumbent president; endorsed by the MCP in August 2024.^[12] His running mate was Vitumbiko Mumba, the former minister of trade and industry and former labour minister, who was chosen despite MCP constitutional norms that typically favour the First Deputy President.^[13]
• Peter Mutharika – former president (2014–2020); nominated by the DPP.^[6] His running mate was Jane Ansah, the former Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson.^[14]
• Joyce Banda – former president (2012–2014); announced her candidacy on 23 June 2025.^[7] Her running mate was Khumbo Kachali, her former vice‑president during her 2012–2014 term.^[15]
• Dalitso Kabambe – Former governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi and candidate of the UTM party. His running mate was Matthews Mtumbuka.^[16]
• Atupele Muluzi – UDF president. His running mate was Dr. Rex Kalolo.^[17]

The official campaign period began on 14 July 2025 at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe, with activities continuing through 14 September, two days before polling on 16 September 2025, according to the MEC election calendar.^[18]

The Presidential Debates Taskforce, chaired by MISA Malawi, organised debates ahead of the 2025 general election with support from the National Democratic Institute. The first debate was held on 21 August 2025 at the BICC and broadcast nationally.^[19] A second debate was rescheduled to 9 September 2025. President Lazarus Chakwera and former president Peter Mutharika, did not participate.^[20]

On 8 September 2025, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) held a National Day of Prayers and Peace Declaration signing at the BICC in Lilongwe. The event brought together several presidential candidates, including President Lazarus Chakwera, Joyce Banda, Atupele Muluzi, and Dalitso Kabambe, who pledged to promote peaceful elections.^[21]

The gathering was marked by gestures of unity. Peter Mutharika and Michael Usi's absence drew criticism.^[22][23] PAC chairperson Patrick Thawale stressed that the declaration would help manage disputes during and after the elections.^[24]

Opinion polling was conducted by the Institute of Public Opinion Research (IPOR Malawi) ahead of the election. The survey results, including those from July and August 2025, are summarised in the table below.

Another poll conducted by Afrobarometer in August 2024 showed that 43% of respondents supported the Democratic Progressive Party, 29% the Malawi Congress Party, 7% the United Transformation Movement, and 2% the United Democratic Front.^[28]

Civil society and media advocates such as MISA Malawi have called for unrestricted press freedom and safety for journalists, citing prior instances of intimidation during electoral periods.^[29] In June 2025, a rally calling for the resignation of top officials of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) was attacked by masked, machete-wielding men.^[30][31] MEC engaged six international observer missions, undertook gender‑sensitive and risk‑management training, and facilitated party briefings on voter roll verification to reinforce preparedness and credibility.^[32]

On 29 August 2025, MEC completed the accreditation of election observers for the 16 September general election, approving 19 international observers and 40 local observers.^[33]

On 27 August 2025, MEC conducted a dry-run of its Results Management System (RMS) ahead of the general election. The exercise, held at the national tally centre in Lilongwe and in selected constituencies, aimed to test the speed, accuracy, and security of results transmission.^[34] The test revealed some challenges, including network glitches in Blantyre and Lilongwe that delayed the transmission of results. MEC acknowledged the issues but stated that the system's integrity remained intact and pledged to resolve the problems before polling day.^[35]

In their preliminary report, international and regional observer missions, including the European Union and Southern African Development Community, urged MEC to ensure transparency in the management of election results. The missions, along with several civil society groups, expressed concern about delays in publishing partial results and called for safeguarding election data and materials against tampering or loss.^[36][37]

On 18 September 2025, some political party representatives raised concerns after tally kits from districts including Nkhata Bay, Luchenza, and Kasungu arrived at the national tally centre in Lilongwe without proper security seals. The handover was briefly halted, with MEC pledging to investigate; it later resumed after parties received printouts from the devices for verification.^[38]

On 21 September, MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja cautioned political parties against making unverified claims of victory during the tallying process, saying that premature declarations can erode public trust and threaten national peace.^[39]

On 19 September, the MCP said it had found evidence of irregularities in the vote count in 13 of Malawi's 28 districts. Separately, police arrested eight election data entry clerks in the Lilongwe area on suspicion of "manipulating data".^[40] An investigation was also launched into the alleged suicide attempt of an election returning officer who had offered bribes in exchange for manipulating the election results. Four domestic broadcasters also stopped live dashboards of their unofficial voting tallies without explanation that same day.^[41]

On 20 September, United Democratic Front (UDF) president and presidential candidate Atupele Muluzi claimed there was vote‐rigging in the party's stronghold districts, citing Mangochi and Balaka as some of the areas where serious irregularities occurred. He also alleged that many UDF monitors were directed to leave polling centers and told to return only after results had already been tallied in order to sign the official record sheets. He called for investigations into the matter and urged that all votes cast be properly accounted for.^[42]

Civil society organisations, through the Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum (CSEIF), on 20 September called for a speedy and transparent investigation into the recent arrests of electoral officials and clerks in Lilongwe Nkhoma Constituency. Separate inquiries were also reported in Mangochi, Chikwawa, Blantyre, Machinga, and Rumphi, highlighting the broader scope of concern. In a related incident, another presiding officer in Chikwawa allegedly attempted suicide after failing to reconcile manual and electronic tallies. Observers warned that unresolved issues across these cases could undermine public trust in the electoral process.^[43]

On 21 September, MCP presidential runningmate Vitumbiko Mumba claimed during a press briefing that three men at Jenda roadblock had been following him for several days from the Mzuzu area with the intention of attacking him. However, Inspector General of Police Merlyn Yolamu stated that the police were not aware of the alleged incident.^[44] In the same briefing, MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila also alleged that during vote counting in some polling centres, the party's monitors were told to leave, with some reportedly being chased away and others injured.^[45]

On 24 September, before announcing the winner, the commission stated that it had addressed all complaints received from political parties and stakeholders during and after the voting process, including those related to vote counting, data entry, and monitor access at polling centres. MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja confirmed that investigations and corrective actions were carried out where necessary, and the official presidential results were gazetted on the same day to formalize the outcome of the election.^[46]

Initial results suggested that former president Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party was leading in several areas, including the lakeshore districts of Nkhata Bay and Mangochi, in the presidential election.^[47][48] Official tallies were still awaited from the Malawi Electoral Commission. Despite this, both the MCP and the DPP claimed victory on 17 September.^[49] From 19 September, the commission began releasing official results, starting with four councils, among them Luchenza municipality and Likoma.^[50]

On 18 September 2025, independent presidential candidate Phunziro Mvula conceded defeat, stating that he accepted the outcome and pledged to run again in 2030.^[51] The following day, Smart Swira also conceded defeat and urged Malawians to accept the results.^[52] On 20 September, Kondwani Nankhumwa of the People's Development Party (PDP) and independent candidate Adil James Chilungo likewise conceded defeat, with Nankhumwa acknowledging that the preliminary results did not favour his party.^[53][54] On 21 September, UTM presidential candidate Dalitso Kabambe conceded defeat and congratulated Peter Mutharika and the DPP, saying the unofficial results reflected the will of Malawians and urged a peaceful transfer of power.^[55] These concessions were made before the commission had officially announced the winner of the presidential election.

On 23 September, partial results from 24 of Malawi's 36 electoral councils showed Mutharika leading the presidential vote with about 66% of valid ballots counted, with Chakwera trailing significantly.^[56][57] Former president Bakili Muluzi publicly asked Chakwera to accept the likely outcome.^[58] The Malawi Council of Churches also appealed to Chakwera to concede defeat gracefully, noting that the electoral "table cannot change" in his favour.^[59]

President Chakwera conceded defeat in a televised address on 24 September 2025, several hours before the commission had announced final results. At that point, only 24 of the 36 electoral councils were declared, yet Chakwera acknowledged that his opponent had achieved an insurmountable lead and urged Malawians to support a peaceful transition.^[60]

Some analysts interpreted Mutharika's strong showing in the presidential contest as partly the product of a protest vote against the incumbent, citing public dissatisfaction over economic mismanagement, scarcity of goods, and weak decision-making by Chakwera's government. Experts also noted that votes that might otherwise have gone to UTM were diverted to Mutharika, reflecting strategic voting dynamics.^[61]

Official results declared by the Malawi Electoral Commission are summarized in the table below;

As of 27 September, early unofficial results from 223 of 229 constituencies indicated that the DPP had secured 81 seats in the National Assembly, followed by 69 independents and 52 for the MCP.^[63] Other parties accounted for the remaining seats. Although DPP held the largest bloc, analysts noted that it would likely require alliances, particularly with independents, to establish a working majority in parliament.^[64]

The commission began releasing official parliamentary results on 29 September, starting with 13 of the 36 electoral councils. Three constituencies, Mzimba South East and Nkhata Bay Central  – were withheld due to the need to examine voided votes, while in Nkhotakota Liwaladzi the parliamentary election was postponed following a court order. On the same day, the commission also announced that it had nullified the parliamentary results for the Lilongwe Mtandire – Mtsiliza constituency over irregularities.^[65]

On 30 September, the commission announced results for 224 constituencies, with the DPP winning the largest share of seats.^[66] It also pledged to conduct parliamentary by-elections in four constituencies where voting had been nullified or not completed.^[67] In Lilongwe Chilobwe constituency, the commission had earlier declared MCP's Lawrence Chakakala Chaziya elected unopposed after no other candidate was nominated,^[68] bringing the total constituencies to 229 as required.

In this election, the number of women in parliament increased from 40 to 48.^[69]

The table below contains the official results as announced by the Malawi Electoral Commission.

Party		Seats	+/–
	Democratic Progressive Party	78	+16
	Malawi Congress Party	52	-3
	United Transformation Movement	8	+4
	United Democratic Front	4	-6
	Alliance for Democracy	3	+2
	People's Party	3	-2
	Freedom Party	1	New
	National Democratic Party	1	New
	People's Development Party	1	New
	Independents	73	+18
	Vacant	5	—
Total		229	–
Source: European Union Observation Mission in Malawi[70]

With independents having emerged as the single largest bloc in the early unofficial results, some observers and commentators argued that the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly should have come from among the independent MPs rather than from MCP. This was seen as a possible departure from precedent, given MCP’s traditional role as opposition leader, and was noted as a factor that could influence negotiations over parliamentary leadership roles.^[71]

On 5 October, the commission announced results for 502 wards, with the DPP winning the largest share of seats. It also stated that local government elections had not been conducted in seven wards for various reasons, and that by-elections would be held in due course.

The table below contains the official results as announced by the Malawi Electoral Commission.

The 2025 general election saw a notable increase in voter turnout, with 5,502,982 individuals casting their ballots, representing 76.4% of the 7.2 million registered voters. This marks a significant rise from the 64.8% turnout in the 2020 election. Analysts attribute this improvement to widespread public dissatisfaction with the prevailing economic conditions and renewed confidence in the electoral process, bolstered by reforms and increased transparency by MEC.^[73]

However, the election also experienced a rise in null and void votes. Approximately 155,225 votes were invalidated, accounting for 2.8% of the total votes cast. This figure more than doubles the 1.28% recorded in the 2020 election. Experts suggest that this increase may be due to insufficient voter education and the complexity introduced by having 17 presidential candidates on the ballot, which reduced the size of the voting boxes and potentially led to voter errors.^[73]