By Chisomo Phiri
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP ) leader Arthur Peter Mutharika, popularly known as APM, is edging closer to reclaiming the presidency, which he lost in the 2020 fresh presidential election.
With results from 24 out of 36 councils declared on Monday evening by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC ) Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, APM has already amassed 2,138,746 votes,representing 66.7 percent of the 3,206,686 valid ballots counted so far.
To surpass the constitutional 50%+1 threshold of 2,344,587 votes, he now needs only 205,841 votes from the remaining 12 councils.
In contrast, President Lazarus Chakwera who contested in the presidential race under Malawi Congress Party (MCP ) faces an uphill battle.
He requires 1,609,931 votes from the same 12 remaining councils to meet the same benchmark.
According to data from MEC, 3,293,767 people voted in the declared councils, with 83,781 ballots nullified as void which is about 2.5 percent of the total votes cast.
Malawians went to the polls on September 16 this year to elect the president , councillors and legislators who will serve them for the next five years.
