Africa-Press – Malawi. The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on Wednesday, 24th September 2025, officially declared Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as President-elect, bringing to a close one of the most closely observed elections in the country’s democratic history.
Delivering the determination in Lilongwe, MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja walked Malawians through the entire electoral journey—from nominations, campaigns, voting, verification, complaints, and final results—before pronouncing Mutharika the winner with 3,035,249 votes, representing 56.8 percent of the valid votes cast.
The Road to the Polls
The nomination period opened on 10th June and closed on 30th July 2025. MEC received 23 sets of nomination papers after candidates paid the mandatory non-refundable K10 million fee. Three withdrew, and 20 successfully submitted. After scrutiny, 17 candidates were duly nominated and campaigned from 14th July until 14th September at 6 a.m.
Justice Mtalimanja commended parties and candidates for largely peaceful campaigns, noting adherence to the electoral code of conduct.
Voter Turnout and Verification
Malawi had 7,203,390 registered voters—3,088,670 male and 4,114,720 female. Of these, 5,502,982 voted, translating to 76.4 percent turnout.
A total of 4,690,314 voters (65.1 percent) used the Biometric Voter Verification and Identification Device (BVVID). In some polling centers, manual registers were used, explaining the higher overall turnout figure compared to biometric verification.
Justice Mtalimanja praised Malawians for “waiting patiently for results,” emphasizing that elections “set the democratic agenda and leadership of the country and must command public trust.”
Complaints and Void Votes
The Commission received official complaints from the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), United Democratic Front (UDF), and UTM Party. All were examined, determined, and written responses issued. MEC noted that 155,225 votes (2.8 percent) were declared void, but this number could not alter the outcome, so they were not revisited.
District Results Highlighted
Before announcing national figures, MEC released remaining district results, including Karonga, Kasungu, Mchinji, Dedza, Ntcheu, Mangochi, Blantyre, Phalombe, Mangochi Municipality, Lilongwe, Chiradzulu, and Nkhata Bay.
Notable tallies included:
Karonga: Mutharika 45,525; Chakwera 19,072
Kasungu: Chakwera 160,210; Mutharika 50,182
Ntcheu: Mutharika 107,432; Chakwera 9,095
Mangochi: Mutharika 257,098; Chakwera 10,080
Blantyre: Mutharika 118,691; Chakwera 5,002
Lilongwe: Chakwera 511,625; Mutharika 45,477
National Results
Out of 5,347,757 valid votes, the results were:
Arthur Peter Mutharika (DPP): 3,035,249 (56.8%)
Lazarus Chakwera (MCP): 1,765,170 (33.0%)
Dalitso Kabambe (UTM): 211,413 (4.0%)
Atupele Muluzi (UDF): 102,744 (1.9%)
Joyce Banda (PP): 86,106 (1.6%)
Others shared less than 1% each, including Michael Usi (Odya Zake) with 16,922 votes.
Justice Mtalimanja stressed:
“The Commission only facilitates the process. It does not favour any individual or party. It is the voters who decide who wins.”
Observers and Transparency
MEC thanked international and local observers, urging them to submit comprehensive reports for lessons and reforms.
The Swearing-In Timeline
The Chair clarified that, under Section 81(3) of the Constitution, the President and Vice President-elect cannot be sworn in until after seven days and within 30 days from the declaration.
Call for Peace
Justice Mtalimanja urged Malawians to accept results with grace and to maintain peace:
“What binds us together as Malawians is stronger than what separates us into political parties. Let us work together to give our future generations a better, stronger, and prosperous Malawi.”
The Declaration
In her final words, Justice Mtalimanja proclaimed:
“By the powers vested in me under Section 80(2) of the Constitution as read with Section 95(6)(a) of the Act, I hereby declare Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika as the President-elect of Malawi, and Justice Dr Jane Mayemu Ansah SC, JA (Retired) as Vice-President-elect.”
With that, Mutharika reclaimed the presidency, marking his second return to power in Malawi’s democratic era.
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