Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Maxwell Finiasi has claimed victory in Tuesday’s Zomba Mtiya Ward local government by-election.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Chifundo Kachale said Finias emerged victorious with 505 votes seconded by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Humphrey Rabeti who amassed 455 votes.

Micah Mwalala of UTM amassed 66 votes while United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Natasha Thewe got 50 votes followed by United Party (UP) candidate Theresa Kambale who amassed seven votes.

Kachale said out of the 6 459 registered voters, 1 113 electorates casted their votes representing 17.2 percent.

 University of Malawi political scientist Ernest Thindwa told YFM on Wednesday that results from the by-election cannot be an accurate representation of the current political landscape in the country.

Thindwa said a by-election from a single ward cannot provide a comprehensive view of political preferences, nor can it determine the outcome of the upcoming tripartite elections in 2025.

“The results only pertain to Zomba ward, which is a stronghold for the opposition party, DPP,” he said.