Opposition candidate Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has established a commanding lead in Malawi’s 2025 presidential election, with partial results showing him well ahead of incumbent Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). With 24 of 36 councils declared, Mutharika has secured 2,138,746 votes, representing 66.7 percent of the 3,206,686 valid ballots counted so far, according to verified figures from the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC). Historical data shows that some of these areas lean towards Mutharika, compounding the incumbent’s difficulties in closing the gap. Mutharika, who served as president from 2014 to 2020, was defeated by Chakwera in the court-ordered 2020 re-run election. Chakwera’s 2020 victory was built on the Tonse Alliance, a coalition that united former president Joyce Banda and then-vice president Saulos Chilima.