Malawi poll rivals neck-and-neck

Incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika is chasing a second term

Malawi's general election race remains too close to call on the eve of the poll to elect the nation's next president and parliament, say analysts.

Seven candidates are vying for the top job but it is being viewed as a two-horse race between incumbent Bingu Wa Mutharika and his opponent, John Tembo.

Some 3,900 poll stations across Malawi will open at 0500 BST on Tuesday.

The campaign has unfolded in the shadow of a bitter feud between Mr Mutharika and his predecessor Baklili Muluzi.

Former President Muluzi lost a court battle on Saturday to stand for a third term, having argued in vain that after a break of five years he should be able to stand again.

There are a few materials that are not yet in place but we are sure that by the end of the day and come tomorrow, every polling centre will have the necessary materials to enable the people to vote Anastansia Msosa Malawi Electoral Commission Q&A: Elections in Malawi John Tembo: Poised for power? Bingu wa Mutharika: Leading man?

After the legal defeat, Mr Muluzi's United Democratic Front endorsed Malawi Congress Party leader Mr Tembo.

The power struggle stems from the aftermath of President Mutharika's election in 2004, when he fell out with his one-time backer, accusing Mr Muluzi of trying to stonewall an anti-corruption campaign.

Mr Mutharika quit his rival's party in 2005 to form his own Democratic Progressive Party and lead a minority government.

Tuesday's poll will give Malawi's 5.9 million voters their first chance to have their say on the power struggle that has spawned riots, a failed impeachment bid, parliamentary deadlock and coup plot claims.

Mr Tembo, 77, once a leading figure in the regime of the late dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda, is hoping the election will bring to an end 15 years in opposition.

Mr Mutharika, 75, a former World Bank official who has won praise from Western donors, has said he only wants one more term and would then retire.

John Tembo hopes the poll will end 15 years in opposition

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world but it has also enjoyed relative peace and stability over the past decade.

Anastansia Msosa, chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission, said everything was almost ready for voting.

She told the BBC's Focus on Africa: "There are a few materials that are not yet in place but we are sure that by the end of the day and come tomorrow, every polling centre will have the necessary materials to enable the people to vote."

The poll official expressed surprise at a suggestion there were not enough ballot papers in opposition strongholds as part of some alleged plot to disenfranchise rivals of the governing party and said that she had not received any complaint from leaders of any party to this effect.

On the eve of the polls, former Ghanaian President John Kufuor - who is chairing a Commonwealth election observers mission to Malawi - accused Malawi state TV of apparent bias towards the governing party in its campaign coverage.

Final results are expected by Thursday.