What to know about Malawi’s elections as an economic crisis grips the country

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Malawi holds elections Tuesday to choose a president, lawmakers and local government councillors, the first national vote since a 2019 presidential election was nullified and redone a year later because of widespread irregularities.

What to know as residents of the southern African country, grappling with fuel shortages and a cost-of-living crisis, cast their votes.

The last vote

This election features the same two main candidates that faced off in the fraudulent 2019 vote. Then-incumbent Peter Mutharika won that election against the closest challenger, Lazarus Chakwera, only for a court to invalidate Mutharika’s win and order a rerun following months of street protests. Chakwera won a new election held more than a year later in 2020.

It was only the second time