Malawi's voters face a pivotal choice on Tuesday as former President Peter Mutharika mounts a comeback bid against incumbent Lazarus Chakwera in a presidential election overshadowed by economic woes and memories of past electoral drama.

At 84, Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is seeking a second term after losing to Chakwera in the landmark 2020 rerun, which courts ordered following widespread irregularities in the 2019 poll. Campaigning in Zomba, Mutharika has positioned himself as the fix for what he calls a mismanaged economy, promising to restore stability amid fuel shortages and high food prices. Supporters like market trader Eliza Justin in Lilongwe echo this, recalling cheaper fertilizers under his 2014-2020 rule that boosted farming and affordability.

Chakwera, 70, of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), is running for a second term, defending his record on infrastructure like road expansions and revived rail services despite criticism over corruption and sluggish growth. He blames external shocks – cyclones, droughts, and global inflation – for hardships, urging voters for more time to deliver. Recent polls, such as IPOR Malawi's August survey, show Mutharika leading at 41 percent to Chakwera's 31 percent, with 17 candidates in the field, including former President Joyce Banda and Vice President Michael Usi.

The race, set against Malawi's 50-plus-one rule requiring a majority or runoff, revives the 2020 precedent when courts annulled Mutharika's narrow 2019 win over tippex tampering and ballot issues – a democratic win praised globally. Yet concerns linger: opponents accuse Chakwera of biasing the electoral commission, and voter registration disputes have surfaced. Civil society groups like the Election Resource Centre stress the need for independent institutions, including courts and police, to ensure fairness.

With 7.8 million registered voters and economic pressures – 20 percent youth unemployment and GDP per capita at $1,447 – the outcome could reshape alliances. Mutharika eyes a pact with Usi's United Transformation Movement, while Chakwera's Tonse Alliance has frayed since Vice President Saulos Chilima's June 2024 plane crash death. As polls open, observers watch for peaceful conduct in a nation still healing from its 2008 democratic shift.