LILONGWE, Malawi, Sept 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The ruling party of Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera claimed Sunday it had evidence of rigging in elections earlier this week, including ballot stuffing, as early results indicated it faced a major loss.

The dire state of the economy under Chakwera's first term, during which inflation reached 33 percent, was the dominant issue in the September 16 election in the impoverished southern African country.

Official results from a handful of districts have shown strong results for Chakwera's rival, 85-year-old former president Peter Mutharika, with local media and analysts also saying he is likely to win a second term.

"We have evidence that some people were stuffing ballot papers in ballot boxes," Chakwera's running-mate Vitumbiko Mumba alleged at a press conference.

"Raw results do not match figures announced at the tally centre," the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) politician said, without sharing the evidence he claimed to have for that allegation.

The MCP had lodged a complaint with the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Mumba said.

Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reiterated its tallies showed it was the winner.

"This election was already won. The change is here," the party's director of elections, Jean Mathanga, said at a press conference.

"We have the evidence ... and will not hesitate to use it for any legal process," she said.

Chakwera came to power in a 2020 rerun after the 2019 election was cancelled because of tampering.

After the MCP claimed Friday that there had been irregularities in the polling, police announced the arrests of eight data entry staff.

The election authority has until Wednesday to issue the final outcome of the presidential vote.