Sharp Focus: Lessons from the 2025 Elections
What the 2025 elections taught us about democracy in Malawi.
The September 16th, 2025 elections were more than just a contest for political power.
They were a referendum on leadership, accountability, and the very soul of Malawi’s democracy.
These elections marked a turning point for a nation still healing from years of economic strain, political polarization, and eroding public confidence in governance.
They also provided an opportunity for citizens to reflect on the power of their collective voice — and to question whether democracy in its current form truly serves the people or merely sustains the political elite.
The 2025 elections took place in an environment charged with anticipation and fatigue in equal measure.
After the turbulence of the 2020 court-sanctioned polls and the fragile coalition government that followed, many Malawians approached this election cycle with cautious optimism.
They hoped for a peaceful process, credible management, and a renewed sense of purpose in national politics.
However, the post-election landscape has revealed both progress and persistent weaknesses that demand sober reflection.
*Voter Turnout: Between Hope and Apathy*
One of the most significant lessons from the 2025 elections is the story told by voter turnout.
Numbers alone do not capture the emotions, frustrations, and hopes that define electoral participation, but they do reflect a pattern of growing political disillusionment among citizens.
While turnout in urban areas remained relatively strong, rural regions — historically the backbone of Malawi’s democracy — saw a worrying dip.
Many potential voters simply stayed home.
Their reasons were clear and painful: disappointment in broken promises, lack of visible change in their livelihoods, and a deepening belief that politicians only appear when elections are near.
This quiet protest through abstention signals a dangerous trend — a democracy where participation is declining, not because of oppression, but because of exhaustion.
Yet, even amidst the apathy, millions still queued under the sun, waiting patiently to cast their ballots.
They did so not out of blind loyalty to any candidate, but from an enduring belief that democracy, though imperfect, remains their only hope for progress.
This duality — hope and disillusionment existing side by side — defines Malawi’s current democratic moment.
*Youth Participation: A Digital Revolution with Limited Power*
Another striking feature of the 2025 elections was the vibrant participation of young people.
Malawi’s youth, who make up more than half of the population, once again demonstrated that they are not just future leaders — they are today’s opinion shapers, mobilizers, and watchdogs.
Social media platforms such as X, Facebook, and TikTok became arenas of political engagement.
Young people used technology to challenge misinformation, analyze manifestos, and expose irregularities in real-time.
For the first time, several independent youth-led organizations ran digital voter education campaigns that reached rural and urban audiences alike.
However, despite this energy, the transition from online activism to actual political representation remains minimal.
Very few young candidates made it onto party tickets, and even fewer won seats in Parliament or councils.
Financial barriers, patronage networks, and party gatekeeping continue to limit youth inclusion.
If Malawi’s democracy is to thrive beyond rhetoric, political parties must create deliberate mechanisms to empower young leaders, not merely use them as campaign foot soldiers.
True democratic growth requires generational renewal.
*Campaign Ethics: The Persistence of Old Politics*
The conduct of campaigns in 2025 revealed how far Malawi has yet to go in achieving ethical politics.
While some candidates presented well-researched policy proposals and issue-based messages, many others resorted to the same divisive tactics that have haunted the country for decades.
Vote-buying, handouts, tribal rhetoric, and defamation remained common tools of persuasion.
Money, rather than merit, often dictated who had the loudest voice on the campaign trail.
The Political Parties Act, which was designed to bring sanity and transparency to political financing, was largely ignored.
Regulatory institutions lacked both the capacity and the political will to enforce accountability.
What emerged was a campaign season where ethics took a back seat to expediency.
This exposes a painful truth — democracy without discipline is fragile.
If these bad habits persist, elections risk becoming transactional events rather than civic milestones.
For 2030 and beyond, Malawi must prioritize campaign integrity as much as it prioritizes ballot security.
*Electoral Commission Performance: Between Progress and Peril*
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) entered the 2025 elections with immense pressure to redeem public confidence.
The shadow of past controversies loomed large.
To its credit, MEC introduced several reforms aimed at improving efficiency, including early material distribution and partial digitization of results transmission.
Observers commended these efforts as steps in the right direction.
However, challenges persisted.
Communication lapses during vote counting fueled unnecessary suspicion.
Delayed updates and inconsistent public briefings created information vacuums that were quickly filled by speculation and rumor.
While MEC’s technical capacity has improved, its institutional independence remains vulnerable to political interference.
To safeguard democracy, MEC must be insulated from partisan control, adequately funded, and staffed by professionals whose loyalty lies solely with the Constitution.
Elections are only as credible as the institution managing them, and for Malawi, the next five years are critical in rebuilding trust in the electoral process.
*Civil Society and Media: The Unsung Defenders of Democracy*
Civil society organizations and independent media played vital roles during the 2025 elections.
They monitored abuses, provided voter education, and offered platforms for policy debate.
However, many faced intimidation, resource shortages, and threats to journalists.
Despite these obstacles, their courage sustained the democratic conversation.
Radio stations and online publications served as lifelines for information in communities that might otherwise have been left in the dark.
This resilience demonstrates that Malawi’s democracy does not only rest in the hands of politicians — it thrives because of active citizenship and courageous journalism.
Protecting these actors from state interference and economic vulnerability must be part of future democratic reforms.
*Reforms for 2030: A Roadmap to Democratic Renewal*
As Malawi looks ahead to the 2030 elections, lessons from 2025 must be transformed into action.
Several institutional reforms are not only desirable but urgent.
First, electoral laws must be harmonized to close loopholes and strengthen penalties for violations.
Second, campaign finance transparency must be enforced so that politics is not captured by moneyed interests.
Third, youth and women’s inclusion should be mandated through proportional representation or party list quotas.
Fourth, digital transparency should become a cornerstone of elections, with secure, real-time result transmission systems ensuring accuracy and accountability.
Fifth, civic education should no longer be treated as an event but as an ongoing national program embedded in schools, workplaces, and communities.
Only when citizens are continuously informed can they participate meaningfully in shaping their nation’s destiny.
These reforms would not only enhance electoral credibility but also deepen citizen trust in the democratic process.
They would remind Malawians that democracy is not about personalities, but about institutions that serve everyone fairly.
*Conclusion: Democracy as a Living Promise*
The 2025 elections reminded Malawians that democracy is a living promise, not a finished product.
It grows stronger only when citizens demand accountability and when leaders respect the will of the people.
The elections exposed weaknesses, yes — but they also revealed resilience.
From patient voters standing in long queues to journalists risking intimidation to tell the truth, the spirit of democracy remains alive.
However, democracy cannot feed itself on symbolism alone.
It requires reforms, ethical leadership, and an active citizenry determined to push back against corruption, mediocrity, and political arrogance.
As the nation moves toward 2030, the question is no longer whether democracy works.
The question is how Malawi can make it work better for all — especially for the poor, the young, and the disillusioned.
The ballot has spoken.
Now, the real work begins — turning lessons into action, promises into policy, and hope into reality.
- Only then can Malawi claim not just to have held an election, but to have deepened its democracy.
