The technological failures throughout Malawi’s 2025 elections were not due to network challenges but rather a well-choreographed exercise spearheaded by Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi and Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General Daud Suleiman, The Investigator Magazine can reveal.
The idea was to give President Lazarus Chakwera a decisive victory against the hugely popular Professor Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Two major things have happened: low voter turnout in Malawi Congress Party (MCP) strongholds and a quick public count that has left the real vote results in the public domain.
According to 98 percent of tallied constituency forms, Mutharika has approximately 2.8 million votes compared to Chakwera’s 1.5 million. Only 11 constituencies remain, and voter turnout is projected to cap at 4.9 million.
The technical side of the attempted manipulation involved a loophole that had been created within the Smartmatic system. That loophole was reportedly shut down by unknown security experts, leaving Suleiman and Mpesi desperate. Late-night attempts to adjust voter turnout are likely to backfire. The Investigator Magazine’s tech consultant, who handled vote tabulations for this publication, has retained copies of the original results as posted outside tally centres.
The Investigator Magazine has recorded five meetings between Suleiman and Mpesi and obtained insider accounts revealing that they have been trying to activate over 1.2 million voters allegedly preloaded into the system, even though these individuals did not vote.
“The low voter turnout causes complications. Voters can’t exceed 5 million as, by the end of the day, every centre reported the actual turnout. So any suspicious ballooning of numbers will call for an audit which will worsen the situation,” said an expert familiar with the matter.
Meetings at MACRA’s broadcasting unit have reportedly included Mpesi, Suleiman, an IT manager from the Reserve Bank of Malawi, and some unidentified MACRA and party officials who are now working overnight to “fix” the results. However, this option appears not to be working. In a recording from an earlier meeting at the President’s Hotel, Mpesi is heard cautioning his colleagues not to trust MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, describing her as “a born-again Christian” who would not accept fraudulent activity.
“One issue Mpesi raised is that Mtalimanja should not have promised the parties a copy of transmitted results because it would give opposition parties a chance to cross-check with their original copies from monitors,” a source within the MCP told The Investigator Magazine.
With almost 99 percent of results data already in the public domain, any attempt at manipulation could only affect a small number of votes. Targeted areas have included Mzimba, Nkhatabay, Dowa, Ntchisi, and Lilongwe Rural, where results were delayed. Some returning officers reportedly tried to get monitors to sign blank forms.
“In Rumphi, one officer said sign for one half of 4,000, and when the rest come, you can come and sign,” a United Transformation Movement (UTM) official told us. Some results, like those from Kasungu Municipal, are now arriving at the national tally centre.
Mpesi has reportedly been in a foul mood since results began showing President Chakwera was losing badly. “He is shouting and being angry at all times,” said several of his staff. The Investigator Magazine’s team at the tally centre observed a visibly distressed MEC CEO, who appeared to be contemplating his future.
Attempts by The Investigator Magazine to access Khato-owned Warm Heart Villas, where MACRA is allegedly running clandestine operations, were blocked by armed officers in civilian vehicles. “MACRA is a public entity, why should people be restricted from visiting it?” our reporter asked. The officers still denied entry.
The genesis of the alleged attempt to use IT to sabotage the will of Malawians began when Mpesi brought in five IT personnel and removed, transferred, or accused existing MEC staff of being DPP operatives. “He has been openly hostile. He suspended a Deputy IT Manager just weeks before elections because he wanted his own people to carry on the mission,” charged some senior MEC officials.
His team of IT experts was seen crying on Wednesday when results came in and they could not manipulate the system. MEC has rejected any audits and insisted on using devices it could manipulate. However, the High Court dealt the planners a major blow when it ruled that only manual sheets should be used to tally the final results.
“One cried hard that he has to wear sunglasses at the BICC,” two staff members were overheard joking at the tally centre.
MCP operatives appeared in total chaos, releasing graphics and figures from the registration phase, indicating there was no leadership or coordinated effort on the party’s side. They ended with hope that MEC could somehow salvage the situation.
However, with all the original tally centre forms safely in custody, even a billionaire like Elon Musk would struggle to rework the data. An IT guru who declined an offer to work with the team described the operation as composed of “technically ignorant” individuals who were “hoping for a miracle.”
At Capital Hill and State House, officials have reportedly been assured that both Mutharika and Chakwera are polling around 40%. However, results published by media houses clearly indicate that Mutharika has 55%, while Chakwera has only 34% out of 3 million counted votes.
“I think President Chakwera should accept defeat,” wrote lawyer Khumbo Soko, who argued that it didn’t appear the MCP had any plausible route to victory.
