By Edwin Mauluka

Voting is underway in Malawi’s 2025 General Elections as citizens choose a president, members of Parliament, and local government officials for a five-year term.

“This is a very important day in my life because as a voter, I have chosen leaders of my choice,” said Joseph Nyasulu, who cast his ballot in Lilongwe’s Masintha Constituency, Area 21, Chilinde. He urged registered voters to show up at polling stations.

Nyasulu told The Forum he was up at 4:30 a.m. to vote early before carrying on with his usual business.

Moses Mtonga, presiding officer for the Area 21 Chilinde precinct, confirmed a smooth start.

“All materials were in place which allowed us to start at the right time,” Mtonga said.

According to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), polls will close at 4:00 p.m. today.

This election features 17 presidential candidates, with 7.2 million registered voters casting ballots across more than 15,000 polling stations. Among the contenders are incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party, his predecessor Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, incumbent Vice President Michael Usi of the Odya Zake Alibe Mulandu party, former President Joyce Banda of the People’s Party, and Dalitso Kabambe of the UTM.

Kabambe took over UTM leadership after Vice President Saulos Chilima — who had partnered with Chakwera to unseat Mutharika in a 2020 court-ordered rerun — died in a plane crash in June last year.