The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it will only declare the official results of Tuesday’s general election after a thorough tally of both electronic and manual vote counts.
MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said the decision comes in direct response to a Thursday High Court order.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe yesterday, Mtalimanja, who is also a High Court of Malawi Judge, confirmed the commission’s commitment to transparency.
“MEC will ensure that official results of the general election are announced when results transmitted electronically and manually have been tallied.
“This will ensure that we comply with the court order,” she stated.
is that peace will prevail.
I Nation
The court order, delivered by High Court Judge Chimbizgani Kacheche, mandated that no results be announced without a complete manual tabulation. The ruling was part of a case brought against the MEC by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and other parties, which had sought an audit of the elections management system.
The court, however, ruled in favour of the MEC on the broader case.
Mtalimanja emphasised that the MEC is dedicated to conducting the election with the highest level of transparency, integrity, and professionalism.
She also called on all electoral stakeholders to act responsibly by refraining from spreading fake news and disinformation.
Mtalimanja said MEC remains committed to ensuring the poll is conducted with utmost transparency, integrity and professionalism.
But Mtalimanja appealed to electoral stakeholders to exercise maximum responsibility and integrity by ensuring they refrain from spreading fake news and disinformation.
She stressed that an election is a shared responsibility; hence, MEC on its part will strive to deliver a credible election while Malawians and all other players should also be professional in regards to the poll.
Mtalimanja further said most of the logistical issues were done yesterday and that they are expected to wind up today.
Commenting on the official campaign period, which commenced on July 14 and has since ended today at 6am, Mtalimanja said: “We are happy that the campaign period was peaceful. It is our expectation that peace will prevail during the polling day and in subsequent days.”
The official campaign period, that has relatively been peaceful except in a few instances—especially few days to its close, has been nothing short of drama amid controversial pre-election surveys favouring either Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) or Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
The two parties fought over the credibility of the polls.
In pre-election surveys conducted by the Institute of Public Opinion and Research (Ipor), the DPP was projected ahead of MCP, but fell short of reaching the 50-percent-plus-one threshold, with pundits projecting a re-run of the poll.
Yet another poll by private consulting firm International Institute for Research and Development (IIRD Africa) released on Friday suggested that if elections were held between August 11th and September 2025, MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera would win with 56 percent while DPP torchbearer Peter Mutharika could come second with 27 percent.
Chisankho Watch—a consortium comprising Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Public Affairs Committee, Gender Justice Unit and the Meeting Hub, yesterday told the press in Lilongwe that pockets of violence were registered in some parts of the country, but the process has largely been peaceful.
Political analyst Ernest Thindwa last week attributed the peaceful official campaign environment to MEC’s constant engagement with numerous electoral stakeholders, including condemnation of the politically-motivated violence.
He said this was supported by pressure piled on candidates to hold issue-based campaigns.
“Peace and stability after voting is largely dependent on how the electoral process is seen as free and fair by majority citizens,” he said.
“Majority of Malawians are likely to maintain law and order if the general will through voting is generally seen to be respected.”
But another political analyst Wonderful Mkhutche said it would be important for Malawians to move on after the outcome of the election is released—regardless of how it goes.
He said: “I foresee a peaceful aftermath of the election. It is good to see that the campaign period was generally peaceful.
“There was space for everyone to campaign anywhere in the country.”
Mkhutche argued that not much is at stake in Tuesday’s election on the premise that the opposition bloc is in doubt and that the ruling party has been living with the fear of losing power.
MEC data shows that 7.2 million people registered to vote in Tuesday’s general election, representing 65.7 percent of the 10.9 million eligible population that would be 18 years old by the time of polling.
The projections are based on National Statistical Office data.
MEC will for the first time use the 50-percent-plus-one system electoral system to determine the winner in the presidential election. This follows a February 2020 Constitutional Court ruling which nullified the 2019 presidential poll.
