Malawi, a nation hounded by accusations of corruption even though its current leader was president of the Malawi Assemblies of God denomination for 24 years, holds elections on September 16. The issues in this election resemble those facing many Majority World nations and their Christian citizens. I asked Godwins Lwinga, who teaches at the University of Livingstonia in northern Malawi, for his insights in this guest post.

Malawi transitioned from one-party dictatorship to multiparty democracy in the early 1990s. The elections on September 16 will mark the country’s seventh electoral cycle.

It’s a crowded presidential race, with 17 candidates. They include the 70-year-old incumbent president, Lazarus Chakwera; 85-year-old Peter Mutharika, who was president from 2014 to 2019; and 75-year-old Joyce Banda, president from 2012 to 2014.

Candidates independent of Malawi’s political parties can get on the ballot by paying a nomination fee of about $5,700 USD. I hope our electoral laws will be reformed to ensure that only serious contenders can participate, perhaps by requiring independents to submit petitions signed by 1 percent of all registered voters.

Age has become an obvious campaign issue, especially on social media and the Internet. The ruling party and other opposition parties think Mutharika is too old to be president, and questions have been raised about his reportedly failing health.

The Malawi Electoral Commission’s decision to employ an electronic voting system in the upcoming elections is a significant innovation. This comes against the backdrop of the May 2019 elections, which were nullified due to irregularities, especially the use of correctional white-out fluid, popularly known as Tipp-ex, on ballots. Mutharika, then the incumbent, claimed victory, becoming known as the Tipp-ex president. However, the opposition parties challenged the election, and Malawi’s high court nullified the results, ordering a fresh election in which Chakwera emerged as the victor

The deployment of Smartmatic electoral management devices (EMDs) is a step toward ensuring transparency, constitutional accountability and credibility of the elections. The new system replaces previous biometric registration technologies and will be used for voter registration, verification, and transfers. However, some opposition political parties and civil society organizations have opposed the use of EMDs, fearing manipulation of the results. This dispute signals a critical political trend where election technology itself becomes a battleground for public trust and institutional legitimacy. The introduction of EMDs is a major technological shift in Malawi’s electoral process, where transparency, credibility, speed in vote counting, and result transmission are likely to improve. These efforts must be commended as the world is moving toward digitalization.

The economy is in severe distress, leading to high inflation, high cost of living, and widespread poverty. All the presidential candidates have acknowledged the economy’s poor performance, and some have unveiled ambitious economic recovery plans.

There is pervasive corruption in Malawi. The Transparency International Corruption Perception Index ranks Malawi 27.3 out of 100 (global average is 48.4). The pervasiveness of patronage directly impacts public services, job creation, and public trust. The government’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) was formidable during Martha Chizuma’s three-year tenure as director. She investigated a record high 119 cases, some of which involved high-profile politicians and civil servants. However, she also made many enemies, which forced her to resign in 2024.

As a Malawian citizen and a Christian, I wish circumstances had not made Chizuma resign; she was a beacon of hope. Public officers who can boldly take steps to fight corruption as she did should be publicly supported. The church needs to offer unwavering support too.

In my opinion, the talk about corruption is disappointingly lukewarm and cosmetic. Even more disturbing is the prevailing laissez-faire attitude among institutions and segments of society. I see a lack of urgency, accountability, and consistent follow-through. Tough measures against corrupt people are promised, and investigations are launched, yet decisive actions and biting consequences are not seen.

The church in Malawi has been encouraging Christians to focus on issues when voting rather than on the candidates’ rhetoric. Malawi’s Catholic bishops issued a pastoral letter that highlighted corruption, nepotism, economic hardships, and deteriorating public services as issues of concern; it also identified accountability and governance as key qualities to look for in a leader. The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian advised its faithful to reject corrupt politicians. The Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) has been involved in voter civic education, attempting to demystify the fears associated with EMDs. The EAM argues that “With proper information, church leaders can dispel fears and encourage Malawians to vote.”

There has been no direct endorsement of candidates from mainline churches, but many clergy from different churches have offered prayers at political party campaign events. It is not always clear whether they attend in their personal capacity or as delegates from their church.

Anti-corruption training

One Christian organization is working to address corruption issues in Malawi. An anti-corruption course developed by Robert Osburn of the Wilberforce Institute is offered at the MINTS International Seminary in Zomba, Malawi. Click here to learn more about the course or to register for its next online session.

Léo Lehmann, theologian and writer in Belgium. This article was first published at brucebarron.substack.com. Republished with permission.