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Malawians vote in close contest Malawi votes in knife-edge poll
(about 3 hours later)
Voters in Malawi have begun casting their ballots, with final opinion polls suggesting the presidential race is too close to call. Voting has been brisk in Malawi's general election, with analysts suggesting the presidential race is too close to call.
Seven candidates are vying for the top job but it is being viewed as a two-horse race between incumbent Bingu Wa Mutharika and his opponent, John Tembo. Seven candidates are vying for the top job but it is being viewed as a two-horse race between incumbent Bingu Wa Mutharika and opponent, John Tembo.
The south-east African state is also due to elect a new parliament. The south-east African nation is also electing a new parliament.
It is the first time voters can pass their verdict on a feud involving ex-President Bakili Muluzi. Mr Tembo is backed by ex-President Bakili Muluzi, whose attempt to run for a third term was blocked by the courts.
The country of nearly six million voters has endured a protracted power struggle which saw riots, a failed impeachment bid, parliamentary deadlock and coup plot claims.
While it is one of the world's poorest states, Malawi has a fast-growing economy and Western donors are wary of any threat to the relative peace and stability it has enjoyed over the past decade.While it is one of the world's poorest states, Malawi has a fast-growing economy and Western donors are wary of any threat to the relative peace and stability it has enjoyed over the past decade.
Court battle It's my right to choose the president that's going to take us through five years of development, better education and everything possible we need for a better Malawi Voter class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/8050887.stm">Bingu wa Mutharika: Leading man? class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/3198197.stm">John Tembo: Poised for power? class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/8046766.stm">Q&A: Elections in Malawi
Mr Tembo is backed by Mr Muluzi, who preceded Mr Mutharika as president. Long queues have been reported as nearly six million voters cast their ballots at almost 4,000 polling stations around the country, amid predictions of a high turnout.
The BBC's Chakuchanya Harawa in the capital Lilongwe says when he arrived pre-dawn at one polling station two hours before it opened, there was already a line of waiting voters.
It was a similar picture in the northern city of Mzuzu, with long queues at polling stations, says the BBC's Joel Nkhoma.
The vote follows a long political feud between Mr Mutharika and his predecessor Mr Muluzi that has caused riots, a failed impeachment bid, parliamentary deadlock and coup plot claims.
Mr Muluzi lost a court battle on Saturday to be able to stand for a third term, having argued in vain that after a break of five years, he should be able to run for office again.
His United Democratic Front has endorsed Mr Tembo, leader of the Malawi Congress Party, which governed the country for 30 years.
Former president Bakili Muluzi is backing opposition leader John TemboFormer president Bakili Muluzi is backing opposition leader John Tembo
Mr Muluzi lost a court battle on Saturday to stand for a third term, having argued in vain that after a break of five years he should be able to stand again. Mr Mutharika fell out with his one-time backer in 2004, accusing Mr Muluzi of trying to stonewall an anti-corruption drive.
After the legal defeat, his United Democratic Front endorsed Mr Tembo, leader of the Malawi Congress Party. The 75-year-old incumbent quit his rival's party in 2005 to form his own Democratic Progressive Party and lead a minority government.
The power struggle between the incumbent president and his predecessor goes back to Mr Mutharika's election in 2004, when he fell out with his one-time backer, accusing Mr Muluzi of trying to stonewall an anti-corruption campaign. A former World Bank official who won praise from Western donors, Mr Mutharika has said he only wants one more term and will then retire.
Mr Mutharika, 75, quit his rival's party in 2005 to form his own Democratic Progressive Party and lead a minority government. Mr Tembo, 77, once a leading figure in the regime of the late dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda, is hoping the election will bring to an end 15 years in opposition.
A former World Bank official who won praise from Western donors, he has said he only wants one more term and will then retire. Poverty, agriculture and health care are the big issues for Malawi, where two thirds of the people live on less than a dollar a day and Aids has orphaned an estimated one million children.
Mr Tembo, 77, who was once a leading figure in the regime of the late dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda, is hoping the election will bring to an end 15 years in opposition. But the BBC's Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre says it is thought voters will be likely to cast their ballot along regional and ethnic lines, with the issues taking a back seat.
Reports have surfaced that not enough ballot papers were distributed to opposition strongholds but the head of the Malawi electoral commission, Anastansia Msosa, said she had not received any complaint from any party leaders. In the parliamentary election, about 1,100 candidates, including a record number of women, are standing but no party is expected to win an outright majority.
Former Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who is chairing a Commonwealth election observers mission to Malawi, accused Malawi state TV of bias towards the governing party in its campaign coverage this week. On the eve of voting, former Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who is chairing a Commonwealth election observers mission to Malawi, accused Malawi state TV of bias towards the governing party in its campaign coverage this week.
Final results are expected by Thursday.Final results are expected by Thursday.