Chorusing his election theme of “vote DPP for continued development or slide backwards”, a fired-up President Mutharika told the mammoth crowd decked out in party colours that his administration had launched an economic revolution and put Malawi on the progress path.

He said his priorities were development and honing of skills to provide employment. He added: "When you give me another five years, I will develop the country beyond recognition."

He said Malawi, which depends on agriculture for its economic survival, could develop like Tiger countries of Singapore and Malaysia.

Quoting his favourite line of “I am tired of poverty”, Mutharika said his DPP-led administration would continue to fix the economy to eradicate poverty.”

On the safety of albinos, he said he would provide them with decent accommodation. A resurgence of albino murders and atrocities has haunted Malawi on how to end the vice, but Professor Mutharika has introduced several measures to protect them. People with albinism have been killed or body parts removed by people who belive that the parts contain magical powers to make believers  rich.

Local official figures show that 163 cases of albino attacks have been reported since November 2014. About 22 of the cases have been murders.

The DPP presidential candidate is tipped to win the May 21 vote in which Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), and vice president Saulos Chilima of UTM are contesting. Campaign ends 6 am on Sunday, May 19. Some 6.8 million Malawians are expected to vote in the sixth multi-party poll since the end of one-party dictatorship in 1994.