Malawi’s Ex-President, Peter Mutharika, to Return to Office as Incumbent Concedes Defeat

All seems set for Peter Mutharika to return to Malawi’s apex office, with incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera conceding defeat earlier today. Chakwera addressed the nation, citing an insurmountable margin between him and Mutharika heading into the official announcement of the results scheduled for later today. According to reports, Mutharika had scored over 60% of the votes counted so far, and is on course for a strong win.

“I know that for the majority of you who voted, this outcome is a reflection of your collective will to have a change of government and so it is only right for you to concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens,” the outgoing president said in his address, adding that he had already called his predecessor-turned-successor to concede his loss. He also stated he’s “fully committed to [facilitating] a peaceful transfer of power.”

Chakwera’s party, Malawi Congress Party (MCP), lauded the outgoing president’s preemptive concession as a show of “the beauty of democracy and the strength of true leadership.” The party also claimed that Chakwera “has cemented his legacy as a true servant of the nation.”

Last week’s election marks the fourth time Chakwera and Mutharika have faced off for Malawi’s presidential seat. Mutharika won the 2014 elections, and he was declared the winner of the 2019 polls, but the result was struck out by the constitutional court due to widespread irregularities, including the use of correctional fluid, Tippex, in fraudulently amending results. Chakwera won the 2020 re-run.

Mutharika’s victory is largely a verdict on Chakwera’s disappointing time in office for many Malawians. The country’s economy has been in a downturn in the past five years, thanks to a rough combination of post-COVID economic shocks, the devastating Cyclone Freddy, and drought that made farming nearly impossible. The inflation rate has been over 20% in the past three years, with just over a quarter of the population living above the poverty line.

Mutharika now returns despite the electoral fraud that earned him the nickname “Tippex President,” as well as serious allegations of corruption during his presidency. However, the president-elect was able to tamp down on inflation during his first term in office, and perhaps could do it again. The 85-year-old was rarely seen on the campaign trail, raising some questions about his health, as he enters office at a time when Malawians are hoping for immediate economic reforms

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