Malawi Voting Proceeds Smoothly

Malawians voted in presidential and parliamentary elections on Tuesday in an election that is seen as a test of national stability in the Southern African country. Incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika is running for a second five-year term against opposition leader John Tembo, who has the backing of Mutharika’s bitter foe, former President Bakili Muluzi. Mutharika, 75, came to power in a disputed election in 2004 and had a difficult first term in office, surviving an attempted impeachment and a hostile parliament to institute reforms that have transformed Malawi into one of the world's fastest growing economies. The country’s six million voters are also electing legislators to the 193-seat parliament. [PE]