Malawi Election: Peter Mutharika declared president of Malawi, making a comeback at 85

BLANTYRE, Sept. 19 (Running Africa) – Mutharika, 85, won more than 3 million votes, nearly 57% of the total. Chakwera secured 1.77 million votes (33%) in a crowded field of 17 candidates. Former central bank governor Dalitso Kabambe finished third with 211,413 votes (5%), while ex-president Joyce Banda received just over 86,000 (1.6%).

The electoral commission confirmed that approximately 5.5 million of the 7.2 million registered voters cast their ballots, resulting in a turnout of 76%. Mutharika makes a historic comeback after losing an election rerun to Chakwera in 2020, which followed a court nullification of the 2019 election due to irregularities.

At 85, Peter Mutharika is now Africa's second-oldest sitting president, after Cameroon's 92-year-old Paul Biya. His comeback follows mounting public anger over Malawi's faltering economy, which has been battered by fuel shortages, soaring food prices, and inflation that reached 27% in the wake of a deadly 2023 cyclone and a crippling drought in 2024.

Chakwera, 70, conceded defeat earlier on Wednesday, hours before the electoral commission declared the winner. His Malawi Congress Party and other parties alleged irregularities in some districts, but the electoral body later confirmed that all the complaints had been resolved.

According to the Electoral Commission, President Mutharika must be sworn in within seven days of the declaration of the results, but no later than 30 days.

Malawians also voted in members of parliament and 500 other local representatives.

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