BLANTYRE (Reuters) -Malawi’s former president Peter Mutharika has taken an early lead in this week’s election, in which he faced off for the fourth time against incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, provisional results from one-quarter of councils showed.

Mutharika received roughly 51% of the valid votes cast in nine of the country’s 36 councils, compared with nearly 39% for Chakwera, according to Reuters calculations based on results released by the country’s election commission.

A candidate needs to secure more than 50% of valid votes for an outright win, otherwise there will be a second round.

Political analysts had predicted that the September 16 vote would be a two-horse race between Mutharika and Chakwera, the presidential candidates of the two biggest parties in the Southern African countr

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