Mutharika, 85, Re-elected President of Malawi
Politics Updated: 26 September 2025 12:20 EAT
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BY ALJAZEERA
Malawians have voted to return former president Peter Mutharika to power. The 85-year-old leader, who served from 2014 to 2020, won the election with a clear majority, overcoming his long-time rival Lazarus Chakwera to secure a political renewal.
The former President was re-elected with 56.8 percent of votes in last week’s polls, that was marked by the dire state of the economy, the election commission has announced.
Incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera took 33 percent of ballots cast on September 16, the authority announced on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chakwera conceded defeat to his predecessor, Mutharika, 85, in the largely poor Southern African nation, battered by soaring costs and severe fuel shortages.
“It is only right that I concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens and out of respect for the constitution,” Chakwera, 70, said in an address.
“It was clear that my rival, Peter Mutharika, has an insurmountable lead over me,” he added.
“In the days that remain, I want you to know that I am committed to a peaceful transfer of power,” Chakwera said.
Last week, citizens took to the polls to vote on the country’s next leader, in a vote that analysts predicted would be one of the most tightly contested elections in the country in recent history between Mutharika and Chakwera, the candidates of the two biggest parties in Malawi’s parliament.
However, the dire state of the economy dominated the election, with critics accusing the president of mismanagement and indecisiveness.
Since Chakwera was elected in 2020, the country has experienced economic stagnation.
Costs soared in the impoverished agricultural nation, with inflation reaching 33 percent and the price of food, maize, and fertiliser increasing.
Tags: Lazarus Chakwera Editor's Pick Malawi Peter Mutharika
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