Malawi's former President Peter Mutharika has taken a comfortable lead in the country's presidential race, with two-thirds of districts having reported provisional results.
The 85-year-old has received around 66% of the valid votes counted so far, with his closest rival, the incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, 70, trailing on around 24%.
Results declared so far indicate that Mutharika has won in areas known to be Chakwera strongholds, including the capital, Lilongwe, and Nkhotakota.
But Chakwera’s camp has not given up, stating that once results are declared from other areas, his vote will increase and he could force a run-off.
A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to be declared the winner, with Malawians eagerly awaiting the final result from last Tuesday's election. The Malawi Electoral Commission has until the end of Wednesday to announce it.
At least two of the 12 districts still to declare results have a large number of registered voters, and Chakwera's camp believes he will do well there, particularly in rural areas around Lilongwe and Dedza.
Two other districts, where Mutharika is expected to perform strongly, have had their results withheld by the electoral commission as it checks their accuracy.
The commission has insisted it is committed to transparency, accuracy, and credibility, carefully checking every tally sheet after the constitutional court annulled Mutharika's victory in 2019 due to irregularities.
Chakwera won the subsequent re-run by a wide margin, but during his presidency, Malawi's economic crisis has deepened, leading to high inflation, food and fuel shortages, and constant power cuts.
On Friday, Chakwera's party said it had discovered irregularities and serious anomalies, requesting a physical audit of results without providing specifics.
The police reported that eight data entry clerks had been arrested for allegedly trying to manipulate results.
