The man who wants to be Malawi's next president Saulos Chilima on Tuesaday arrived early at St Thomas Polling Centre in the country's capital Lilongwe to cast his vote in the watershed poll but was delayed for almost 40 minutes as his name could not be found in the voters register.

Waiting: For close to 40 minutes, polling staff could not find Chilima's name in the voters register even after producing his voter certificate. UTM presidential candidate Saulos Chilima cast his vote at St Thomas Polling Centre in Lilongwe. UTM presidential running mate Michael Usi casting his vote at Mulanje CCAP Mission

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) could not find his name in the voters register even after producing his voter certificate.

The polling staff later sorted out the problem and he was allowed to cast his ballot.

After voting, Chilima expressed satisfaction with the turnout so far and appealed to registered Malawians to go out and vote.

Chilima' the leader of the UTM Party and current State vice-president' is in a tight race with the ruling DPP's candidate and incumbent President Peter Mutharika.

He told a throng of journalists that he cannot say what his next move will be until the results of the election are known.

Chilima, who dumped the ruling party last year to form the youth-focused UTM, while staying on as vice president, declined to comment on the response by MEC to his allegations of planned rigging.

A high turnout of voters characterised almost every polling station in the country early in the morning.

In Malawi's "winner takes all" system, Mutharika won in 2014 with just 36 percent of the vote.