General elections were held in Malawi on 16 September 2025 to elect the president, the 229 members of the National Assembly and 509 local government councillors.
The presidential election resulted in a victory for former president Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, who received 57% of the vote. Incumbent president Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party finished second with 33% of the vote.
Background 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.
Electoral system 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.
According to the Malawi Electoral Commission, 7.2 million voters were enrolled after the three registration phases, with women constituting 57% of the electorate. At 65%, the number of eligible voters who enrolled was less from the 80% recorded in 2019.
Parties and alliances Malawi Congress Party (MCP)governing party of President Chakwera; running without the UTM following the collapse of the Tonse Alliance in 2024. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)main opposition party; endorsed former president Peter Mutharika as its presidential candidate in August 2024. People's Party (PP)led by former president Joyce Banda, who relaunched her national campaign in June 2025. United Democratic Front (UDF)headed by Atupele Muluzi, which has indicated it may field its own ticket if no opposition alliance is formed. 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, but did not contest at the November 2024 convention, where Dalitso Kabambe was elected as the new party leader.
Candidates Declared Lazarus Chakwerawas the incumbent president; endorsed by the MCP in August 2024. 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. Peter Mutharikaformer president (2014–2020); nominated by the DPP. His running mate was Jane Ansah, the former Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson. Joyce Bandaformer president (2012–2014); announced her candidacy on 23 June 2025. Her running mate was Khumbo Kachali, her former vice‑president during her 2012–2014 term. Dalitso Kabambeformer governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi and candidate of the UTM party. His running mate was Matthews Mtumbuka. Atupele MuluziUDF president. His running mate was Dr. Rex Kalolo.
Campaign 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.
Presidential debates 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. A second debate was rescheduled to 9 September 2025. President Lazarus Chakwera and former president Peter Mutharika did not participate.
Peace initiative by the Public Affairs Committee 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.
The gathering was marked by gestures of unity. Peter Mutharika and Michael Usi's absence drew criticism. PAC chairperson Patrick Thawale stressed that the declaration would help manage disputes during and after the elections.
Opinion polls 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.
Polling firmFieldwork dateSamplesizeMutharikaChakweraKabambeMuluziBandaUndecidedNoneLead2025 general election16 September 20255,502,98256.83341.91.623.8IPOR27 August 2025–413163211–10IPOR20 July 2025–4326521126172020 presidential election23 June 20204,445,69939.9259.34–––––19.42
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.
Conduct 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. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
Results management and observer concerns 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.
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.
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.
Irregularities and investigations 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". 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
Results President 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. Official tallies were still awaited from the Malawi Electoral Commission. Despite this, both the MCP and the DPP claimed victory on 17 September. From 19 September, the commission began releasing official results, starting with four councils, among them Luchenza municipality and Likoma.
On 18 September 2025 independent candidate Phunziro Mvula conceded defeat, stating that he accepted the outcome and pledged to run again in 2030. The following day, Smart Swira also conceded defeat and urged Malawians to accept the results. 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. 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. These concessions were made before the commission had officially announced the winner of the presidential election.