BLANTYRE (Reuters) -Malawians will vote for their next president, members of parliament and local councillors on September 16 after five years of increasing economic hardship that was compounded by a series of natural disasters.
Political analysts expect the Southern African country’s presidential election to be a two-horse race between current President Lazarus Chakwera and his predecessor Peter Mutharika.
The following are some of the main issues for voters ahead of the elections.
ECONOMIC STAGNATION
One of the world’s poorest countries, Malawi’s economy has stagnated since the last national elections in 2020.
The World Bank is forecasting economic growth of just 2% this year, which would be the fourth year in a row that Malawi’s population has expanded faster than its economy.
An International Monetary Fund programme was terminated in May after failing to restore macroeconomic stability. The government said at the time that the plan was to negotiate a new IMF programme after the elections.
INFLATION OVER 20%
Inflation has been above 20% for more than three years, making basic essentials increasingly unaffordable.
Price pressures have been spurred by two devaluations of the local kwacha currency in 2022 and 2023.
There were protests earlier this year in major cities led by jobless young people and street vendors, who said soaring inflation was driving them out of business.
Economists estimate more than 70% of Malawians live below the World Bank’s latest international poverty line of $3 per person per day for low-income countries.
CORRUPTION
Malawi has seen a long series of corruption scandals stretching back more than a decade.
Chakwera has talked tough on fighting graft since becoming head of state in 2020, but he has been criticised for handling cases selectively and corruption scandals have continued under his watch.
HUNGER AND FAILED HARVESTS
Malawi has faced severe hunger crises, with millions of its people requiring food assistance last year after a severe regional drought destroyed harvests.
In 2023, one of the deadliest storms to hit Africa in the last two decades, Cyclone Freddy, also wiped out crops and caused food shortages.
Malawi’s population is especially vulnerable to extreme weather events as the majority of its population of 22 million is reliant upon subsistence agriculture for food.
FUEL SHORTAGES
Malawians have become used to queuing for hours at fuel stations because of shortages.
In an address to the nation this week Chakwera apologised for the scarcity of fuel, alleging sabotage by officials at the state oil company. The opposition says government mismanagement is to blame.
(Reporting by Frank Phiri and Sfundo Parakozov;Editing by Alexander Winning and Joe Bavier)
