LILONGWE, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is set to announce the winner of the presidential race following the Sept. 16 general elections.
By Monday evening, the MEC had tallied and verified results from 24 of the country's 36 councils and is expected to release the remaining 12 on Tuesday evening, paving the way for the official declaration of the winner.
Partial results indicate that former President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party is leading by 2,022,879 votes, distantly followed by incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party, who has gained 732,575. Dalitso Kabambe of the United Transformation Movement came third with 146,664 votes.
According to Malawi's electoral laws, a winning presidential candidate must secure 50 percent plus one of the total valid votes cast. Failure to achieve the threshold would result in a runoff.
Seventeen candidates, including former President Joyce Banda, incumbent Vice President Michael Usi, and former President Bakili Muluzi's son Atupele Muluzi, vied for the presidential position. ■