Peter Mutharika’s Re-Election, Homework Assignment For Chakwera & Test For The Region

The Post On Sunday

Lilongwe – Malawi’s political stage has witnessed one of its most dramatic turnarounds in recent years. Former President Peter Mutharika, at the age of 85, has secured a resounding return to State House after being declared the winner of last week’s tightly contested elections.

The Malawi Electoral Commission confirmed that Mutharika won with 57% of the vote, defeating incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, 70, who managed just 33%. In a show of political maturity, Chakwera conceded defeat even before the final announcement, personally phoning Mutharika to congratulate him on what he described as a “historic win.”

For Mutharika, a seasoned professor of law and political figure, the victory is nothing short of a personal and political redemption. He previously served as president between 2014 and 2020, only to lose by a wide margin to Chakwera in elections that were hailed as a democratic breakthrough at the time. That defeat seemed to mark the end of his political journey, yet, against the odds, he has returned.

This election, however, was not without shadows of Malawi’s turbulent electoral past. The Commission admitted it took the full eight days allowed by law to verify results and address complaints, wary of a repeat of the 2019 controversy when Mutharika’s victory was annulled by the Constitutional Court due to widespread irregularities. That ruling had paved the way for Chakwera’s sweeping victory in the 2020 rerun. Now, the tables have turned again.

Mutharika’s second coming to power comes at a time when Malawi is grappling with an economic crisis of staggering proportions. Inflation hovers near 30%, foreign currency reserves are depleted, and fuel shortages have crippled industry and transport. Ordinary citizens face the harshest realities of this collapse, a frozen chicken in a Lilongwe supermarket now costs $20, in a country where the majority survive on less than $2 a day.

Corruption scandals, crippling power cuts, and soaring living costs eroded public trust in Chakwera’s leadership, despite his government pointing to external factors such as drought, natural disasters, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. For many Malawians, those explanations rang hollow, and the demand for change became louder.

Mutharika’s campaign slogan, “a return to proven leadership,” struck a chord with voters nostalgic for his earlier years in office, when he was credited with taming inflation and stabilising parts of the economy. His supporters, particularly in urban centres, celebrated his comeback with singing, dancing, and car horns blaring across Lilongwe. Crowds tore down posters of Chakwera and stomped on them, chanting “achoke!”, “he must go”, a reflection of deep frustration with the outgoing government.

While the victory celebrations carried through the night, the question looming over Mutharika’s presidency is whether he has the energy and stamina to govern effectively at 85. Unlike his opponent, who was visible on campaign trails across the country, Mutharika was rarely seen in public, fuelling speculation about his health. His ability to tackle Malawi’s worsening economic problems and to unite a weary nation will be closely watched.

This election marks the fourth political showdown between Mutharika and Chakwera, two men whose careers have been intertwined in Malawi’s democratic journey. Yet, analysts suggest this result is less an embrace of Mutharika and more a rejection of Chakwera’s failed promises.

For Mutharika, the path forward is daunting. He inherits a fragile state, weighed down by poverty, economic stagnation, and a citizenry desperate for relief. Expectations are high that he will repeat the successes of his first term. His swearing-in ceremony, constitutionally required to be held within 30 days, will not just mark his return to power, but also the beginning of what may be the most difficult chapter of his long political career.