Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), gave an update on Sunday evening at the National Tally Centre in Lilongwe on the progress of retrieving and tallying results from the country’s 16 September 2025 General Election. The briefing covered the flow of results from councils, complaints lodged by stakeholders, and the partial declaration of presidential election outcomes.
By 8:00pm on 21 September, all 229 constituencies had transmitted their results through the Results Management System, and all councils had processed their district summaries for public display. Of the 36 councils nationwide, 35 had delivered their results to the National Tally Centre, with Mangochi District still en route at the time of the announcement.
The Commission also confirmed it continues to receive complaints about the electoral process, stressing that all grievances must be submitted formally in writing to the Chief Elections Officer, either via email at ceo@mec.org.mw or delivered by hand to MEC’s head office at Chisankho House in Lilongwe. Justice Mtalimanja warned that informal channels such as WhatsApp, voice notes, or direct messages to MEC staff would not be accepted, calling them irregular and undocumented.
On the partial presidential results, the MEC Chair outlined figures from several councils already determined:
Chitipa District had 86,980 registered voters, with 68,131 casting their ballots (78.3%). After 1,173 void votes, the 66,958 valid votes were distributed as follows: Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika (DPP) led with 35,827 votes, followed by Dr. Lazarus Chakwera (MCP) with 13,936 and Dr. Dalitso Kabambe (UTM) with 9,035.
Rumphi District recorded 94,936 registered voters, with 67,982 voting (71.6%). Of 66,592 valid votes, Mutharika received 29,957, Chakwera 24,486, and Kabambe 6,627.
Mulanje District had 279,761 registered voters, of which 231,763 turned out (82.8%). Out of 226,512 valid votes, Mutharika dominated with 207,596, followed by Dr. Kondwani Nankhumwa (PDP) with 6,777 and Atupele Muluzi (UDF) with 2,923.
Mzuzu City counted 76,629 registered voters, with 56,776 casting their votes (74.1%). From 55,809 valid votes, Mutharika received 25,077, Chakwera 15,013, and Kabambe 12,782.
The Commission confirmed it has so far determined results from 13 councils, including Neno, Salima, Ntchisi, Zomba City, Karonga Town, Likoma, Kasungu Municipality, Luchenza Municipality, Mwanza, Chitipa, Rumphi, Mulanje and Mzuzu City.
Justice Mtalimanja appealed for responsibility from political leaders, parties, and stakeholders, expressing concern about premature declarations of victory and contradictory public statements. She warned that misinformation threatens peace and undermines trust in the electoral process.
She said all published figures are carefully verified in the presence of monitors and observers and that no results are declared without thorough reconciliation. She urged leaders to show patience and statesmanship, assuring Malawians that the Commission remains committed to transparency, legality, and fairness in declaring the final outcome.
Discussion about this post