President, parliament, and communal elections in the world’s poorest democracy
Malawi is part of the decreasing number of African countries which count as stable but imperfect democracies. There is an active electoral contest and the country has prior experience with democratic governmental transitions, which remain possible in the upcoming elections on 16 September 2025. The election is taking place against the backdrop of extreme poverty. The people of Malawi believe that the economic situation has not improved under the current government. The candidates’ and parties’ manifestos are limited in scope and depth, they do not differ drastically from one to the other; many of the candidates are old acquaintances. However, the global geopolitical rivalry, the race for raw materials and rare earths, the growing number of conflicts and the decreasing number of democracies particularly on our neighboring continent all give these elections greater significance than they would have before the war in Ukraine and the inauguration of Trump.
