Voting has started in in Malawi to elect a new president and 193 members of parliament.

Before dawn, hundreds of voters lined up Tuesday at polling centers to cast their ballots in the election in which 78-year-old President Peter Mutharika is seeking re-election to a second term.

Mutharika is in a tight race against his vice-president, 46-year-old Saulos Chilima, and the leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, Lazarus Chakwera, 64.

Malawi's army and police will provide security at polling stations for the 6 million registered voters.