Elections in Malawi

Malawi uses a formal electoral cycle that begins with voter registration and register verification, followed by candidate nomination, campaigning, polling, counting, tallying, result publication and possible complaints or appeals. The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is the independent constitutional body responsible for constituency and ward boundaries, the voters’ register, ballot papers, polling stations, voter education, election security and overall supervision. The National Registration Bureau (NRB) supports national registration and provides the registration evidence used by voters. The High Court hears election petitions, while Parliament receives and preserves election records after the MEC transfers them to the Clerk of Parliament. A person generally needs Malawian citizenship or at least seven years of ordinary residence as a non-citizen, must be at least 18 years old on polling day and must have a constituency connection through residence, birth, work or business. A voter may register in only one constituency and on only one register. The law excludes people whose mental incompetence has been established by a court, people under a death sentence and people convicted of an electoral offence. The governing Act does not set a voter-registration fee. Registration requires personal proof from the NRB, and the voter receives a voter registration certificate. MEC and NRB procedures provide for replacement when a certificate is lost or damaged. The President, a Member of Parliament and a councillor are elected through separate contests. A general election normally provides three ballots, one for each office. The President is elected by direct, general and equal vote and must receive more than half of the valid votes. If no candidate reaches that level, a second poll between the two leading candidates must take place within 60 days. Members of Parliament and councillors are elected by the candidate with the highest number of valid votes. A presidential candidate must be a Malawian citizen by birth or descent and at least 35 years old. A parliamentary or council candidate must be a Malawian citizen, at least 21 years old, a registered voter and able to use English for active parliamentary or council participation. Candidates submit nomination papers, identity or citizenship evidence and either party endorsement or independent-candidate documentation. A presidential candidate also submits a running mate. MEC sets the nomination fee for each election, and the fee is not refundable. MEC publishes the election notice and calendar. During register inspection and verification, the register may be displayed for up to seven days. Parties and independent candidates may monitor registration with no more than two representatives at each registration centre. Voter education providers need MEC accreditation, and election observers need MEC accreditation. Campaigning is permitted, but a public campaign gathering requires written notice to the District Commissioner or Chief Executive Officer and the police. State contributions and public resources may not be used for campaigning. Employers must allow employees to participate in voting. At the 2025 general election, the campaign period lasted 60 days, from 14 July at 6:00 a.m. until 14 September 2025 at 6:00 a.m. Polling took place on 16 September 2025 from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the general-election day was a public holiday. The register for that election contained 7,203,490 voters, representing 65.7% of projected eligible voters. In 2026, MEC provided voter verification through *2509# on TNM and Airtel networks. A voter normally goes to the polling station linked to the registration centre. MEC may authorize a transfer, and it may provide an exception for designated election officials or nominated representatives who are deployed elsewhere. The voter presents the registration certificate and, where required, an identification document. Losing the certificate does not automatically exclude a voter: a positive register check and assistance from the presiding officer can establish eligibility. Polling staff first check the register, mark the certificate or register entry, apply indelible ink or another security measure and issue the ballot or ballots. The voter marks the ballot in a secret booth and places it in the ballot box. Before polling starts, officials show that the empty box is empty and seal it. Polling staff, representatives and security personnel vote first, followed by voters in order of arrival. A voter who needs assistance may be accompanied by a chosen registered voter or a polling-station officer, but secrecy remains required. If a ballot is marked incorrectly before it is placed in the box, the voter can have it cancelled and receive a replacement. Campaigning and propaganda are prohibited inside the polling station and within 200 metres of it. A written complaint may be submitted at the station and entered in the polling-station logbook. If commotion or a public disaster interrupts polling for more than three hours, MEC may postpone the poll, arrange a new poll and declare the earlier votes void. The count begins at the polling station immediately after polling closes. Officials classify votes by office and candidate. A vote is void if, for example, the ballot is torn, has no official mark, allows the voter to be identified, is unmarked or contains an unclear mark, or fails an MEC validity direction. The presiding officer prepares and signs a record showing the number registered, the number who voted, valid and void votes, unused ballots, complaints and discrepancies. The signed result summary is posted publicly, and party and independent representatives receive a copy. Results move securely from the polling station to the constituency tally, district tally and national tally. Party and independent representatives may observe tallying. MEC must determine presidential results within eight days, parliamentary results within 14 days and local-government results within 21 days. It publishes the result in the Gazette and through newspapers, radio and television, including registered, voted, valid and void totals. MEC reviews complaints and void votes. A person may file an election petition in the High Court within seven days after the result declaration. The High Court may order scrutiny or a recount, annul an election when a proven irregularity materially affected it, or order a fresh election. A fresh election does not reopen voter registration, and new candidates are allowed only in narrowly defined exceptions. For a by-election caused by a vacancy, only the affected office is contested. On 17 March 2026, by-elections took place in four constituencies and nine wards; counting occurred at the polling stations and official results were published on 20 March 2026. After an election, MEC transfers sealed ballots, result forms, complaints and polling logs through the Clerk of Parliament for preservation.