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.
Although voters could choose from 17 candidates, there are two clear front-runners.
The southern African country has been crippled by rising food prices, currency shortages, and essential service interruptions, prompting voters to seek substantial change. As people lined up to vote on Tuesday, frustrated motorists formed long queues for fuel outside petrol stations, highlighting the urgency for immediate solutions.
The election is effectively a two-horse race between Chakwera and the man he defeated in 2020, 85-year-old Mutharika. However, with 15 other candidates in the running, including former president Joyce Banda, the dynamics of the election could shift unexpectedly.
According to the Malawi Electoral Commission, approximately 3.7 million people - just half of those registered - had cast their votes by the end of polling. The commission has until September 24 to announce the presidential result.
The anticipation builds as the nation waits to see if the new leadership will bring the reforms desperately needed to address the escalating economic crisis.
