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 in the banks. There is a lot happening, especially concerning about forex, unemployment, Rachel Chaguza, a 26-year-old university graduate who sells flowers, told AFP after voting.
President Chakwera stood in line to vote with local residents at his home village, which is about 56km northeast of capital city Lilongwe, while long queues for fuel continued to frustrate motorists. The Election Commission reported that 3.7 million people had cast ballots, confirming that voting progressed smoothly despite some delays due to technical issues at polling stations. The counting of votes began at 14:00 GMT, with results expected by the end of September.
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 in the banks. There is a lot happening, especially concerning about forex, unemployment, Rachel Chaguza, a 26-year-old university graduate who sells flowers, told AFP after voting.
President Chakwera stood in line to vote with local residents at his home village, which is about 56km northeast of capital city Lilongwe, while long queues for fuel continued to frustrate motorists. The Election Commission reported that 3.7 million people had cast ballots, confirming that voting progressed smoothly despite some delays due to technical issues at polling stations. The counting of votes began at 14:00 GMT, with results expected by the end of September.
