Close race reported in elections

Early unofficial results from Malawi’s general elections indicate a close race between the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) of President Bakili Muluzi and the opposition, news reports said on Wednesday. State radio said that the voting pattern in Tuesday’s polls appeared to repeat Malawi’s first democratic elections in 1994 when the UDF swept the south of the country, the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) made a strong showing in the north, and the Malawi Congress Party of the late dictator Kaumuzu Banda the centre. However, diplomatic sources told IRIN there was a possibility that some of the smaller opposition parties could have snatched some seats from the UDF in the south. The first official results of the presidential and parliamentary elections are expected on Wednesday. Voter turnout was estimated as high as 80 percent by observers, and election officials told IRIN they were satisfied with the overall conduct of the polls. Luckson Chimbata, a presiding officer in one of the largest polling centres in the capital Lilongwe said he was confident that the elections had been free and fair. The opposition, however, has alleged irregularities and claimed there was a shortage of ballot papers in opposition strongholds. Voting was extended until Wednesday in three districts - two in the centre and one in the south - when stations failed to open on Tuesday due to a lack of voting materials.