MEC Chairperson Justice Jane Ansah has bashed politiicians for making "political statements  that can stir unfavourable orientation of the public towards the Commission" and that imply declaration of victory.

Dr. Lazarus Mccathy Chakwera, presidential candidate of the Malawi Congress Party, was leading by 8.970 votes against DPP torchbearer Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika as of Wednesday night.

Counting of votes started at 6 pm in most of Malawi's 5,002 polling centres after 12 hours of polling by an estimated 6.8 million voters in Malawi’s sixth multi-party polls since 25 years ago.

Over 400,000 Malawians hit by the impact of Cyclone Idai have been reached with humanitarian needs, the United Nations (UN) said Tuesday, adding that this was achieved through UN agencies in collaboration with the Government of Malawi, national and international agencies.