Malawi president takes lead in vote count

LILONGWE (Reuters) - Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika took the lead according to official figures on Wednesday in an election seen as a test of political stability in one of the world's fastest growing economies.

He based his campaign for a second term on his record of turning Malawi into a net food exporter and delivering three years of growth above 7 percent in the country of 13 million where annual gross domestic product is only $313 (199 pounds) per capita.

But he faced an opposition challenge united behind long-time opposition leader John Tembo, who had the support of former President Bakili Muluzi, himself excluded from the contest.

The Malawi Electoral Commission said Wa Mutharika had 335,752 votes compared to rival Tembo's 78,803 votes. It announced results from 31 centres out of a total of 193.

Malawi has the world's second-fastest growing economy, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. But a repeat of paralysing political upheaval could hurt efforts to attract more foreign investors.

Wa Mutharika hopes the election will give him a parliamentary majority for the first time, ending a long standoff with the opposition that almost paralysed government.

A parliamentary vote was also held Tuesday.

Head of the electoral commission Anastasia Msosa said voting was expected to be completed by Thursday, when final results would be announced.

OPPOSITION REJECTS

Malawi's opposition earlier Wednesday rejected results showing the president had a big lead in their Central Province stronghold, raising doubts over the vote in the poor but fast-growing African country.

The Malawi Congress Party, headed by Tembo, demanded a halt to vote counting in Central Province due to irregularities and said it would not accept wa Mutharika as the winner. It said irregularities included ballots delivered to counting stations in open envelopes.

The electoral commission said complaints would only be dealt with after all votes had been received.

A flawed election in Malawi would be another bad sign for democracy in Africa after polls in Kenya and Zimbabwe, Malawi's neighbour, unleashed violence last year.

"People have voted for wa Mutharika because of his economic performance and the improved food situation," said Rafiq Hajat, executive director of the Institute for Policy Interaction, a local political think tank.

"The other reason is because people are reluctant to vote for someone with a murky past that has not been resolved."

Tembo was a former leading figure in the government of late strongman Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

Government statistics show the proportion of Malawians living on less than a dollar a day fell to 45 percent from 65 percent in the last three years due to higher local food output.

Food security is the top issue and many voters credit a fertilizer subsidy program with boosting food output, to the extent that Malawi now exports the staple maize.

Foreign observer missions described the voting as calm and without incident, although police shut down Muluzi's Joy Radio station Tuesday and arrested three journalists for violating election regulations.

(Writing by Serena Chaudhry, Marius Bosch and Michael Georgy; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Jon Hemming)