By Draxon Maloya

Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is on the brink of reclaiming the presidency.

Fondly known as APM, Mutharika needs just 2,344 votes from the remaining 12 councils to surpass Malawi’s constitutional 50+1 threshold and secure an outright win.

According to verified figures released by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), results from 24 of the 36 councils show Mutharika has already amassed 2,138,746 votes, representing 66.7% of the 3,206,686 valid ballots counted so far.

In stark contrast, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Lazarus Macarthy Chakwera faces a steep uphill battle. He must secure 1,609,931 votes from the same remaining councils to reach the required majority.

MEC data indicates that 3,293,767 Malawians voted in the declared councils, with 83,781 ballots rejected as void—approximately 2.5% of the total votes cast

With just 12 councils left to report, the nation watches in silence with bated breath as to whether APM will maintain his commanding lead, or can Chakwera stage a dramatic comeback.