In brief
As Malawi prepares for the announcement of its presidential election results, voters have expressed their frustrations over economic difficulties that include soaring food prices and widespread unemployment. Current President Lazarus Chakwera seeks re-election against former leader Peter Mutharika, amid a deeply divided electorate and anticipation of a potential runoff if no candidate secures a majority. The election has been characterized by logistical challenges, yet a significant portion of registered voters participated in hopes of effecting change.
Malawians are waiting to find out who their next president will be as polls have closed in most parts of the country and counting has started.
Thousands of people queued outside polling stations on Tuesday to vote for a president, MPs and local councillors, keenly hoping to effect change in a country swamped by economic troubles. Some are still voting in areas where polling started late.
In his campaign for a second term, current President Lazarus Chakwera pledged to fix Malawi's economy - as did his main rival, octogenarian former leader Peter Mutharika.
If no candidate wins more than half the votes, the top two contenders will head to a run-off.
There is anger in us. I want to change this government. I want young people to be in good jobs, Ettah Nyasulu, a 28-year-old waitress told the AFP press agency before heading out to vote.
Malawi has long been one of the poorest countries in the world, but recent times have been especially punishing. Food costs have been rising at more than 30% in the last year and wages have not kept pace.
The high inflation rate has partly been attributed to a shortage of foreign currency - known as forex - in the banks.
President Chakwera, who has promised to tackle this shortage, stood in line to vote with local residents at his home village, Malembo, about 56km (35 miles) north-east of the capital city, Lilongwe.
Several police officers and military guards watched over the 70-year-old and his wife as voters huddled around, hoping to catch a glimpse of their president.
The election has effectively become a two-horse race between Chakwera and Mutharika, despite there being 15 other candidates, including another former president and the country’s only female head of state, Joyce Banda.
As the counting of votes begins, the Malawi Electoral Commission has until the end of September to announce results, raising hopes and anxieties among the electorate clamoring for change amidst deepening economic distress.
