Malawi's former president Peter Mutharika has taken an early election lead as he faces off for the fourth time against incumbent Lazarus Chakwera.

Mutharika received roughly 51 per cent of the valid votes cast in nine of the country's 36 councils, compared with almost 39 per cent for Chakwera, according to Reuters calculations of provisional results from one-quarter of councils released by the country's election commission.

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

Political analysts had predicted 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 country's parliament.

Malawi has faced economic st

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