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, insisting that as results from other areas are declared, his vote will increase, potentially forcing 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 that Chakwera’s camp expects to favor them, including rural areas around Lilongwe and Dedza.
Two other districts, where Mutharika is expected to perform well, have had their results withheld for accuracy checks.
The commission is committed to transparency, emphasizing the careful checking of each tally sheet, especially after Mutharika’s previous victory was annulled due to irregularities.
Chakwera won the re-run in 2019 by a wide margin, but his administration has faced significant challenges including soaring inflation, food shortages, and ongoing power cuts.
On Friday, Chakwera's party raised concerns of "irregularities" and "serious anomalies," requesting a physical audit of results, yet provided no specifics on these anomalies.
Additionally, police reported the arrest of eight data entry clerks on allegations of attempting to manipulate results.
