Malawi’s opposition candidates made a last-ditch bid on Saturday (May 18) as candidates for next week’s hotly contested election wrapped up their campaigns at rival rallies across the country.
Malawi's opposition candidates wrap up campaigns
Analysts expect a tight race on Tuesday (May 21) between President Peter Mutharika and two leading opposition candidates — Lazarus Chakwera, who heads the second-largest party in parliament and Deputy President Saulos Chilima.
Pastor Lazarus Chakwera, 64, who leads the Malawi Congress Party, the second-largest party in parliament, has made corruption-fighting a key campaign message.
On the outskirts of Lilongwe, Mutharika’s former ally-turned-foe Chilima told supporters the president was corrupt and should not be allowed to contest.
Former law professor Mutharika, 78, is trying to secure a second five-year term in Malawi, a southern African country heavily dependent on foreign aid which has experienced severe droughts in the past decade. Voters will also elect a new parliament and local government councillors.