Ageing Mutharika regains power

MALAWI’S _ ex-president Peter Mutharika was re-elected to head the impoverished Southern African country with nearly 57% of votes, the election authority announced on Wednesday, following polls dominated by soaring living costs.

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President Lazarus Chakwera came second with 33% of ballots in the September 16 vote, the electoral commission said, hours after the incumbent had conceded defeat, admitting his tival had an “insurmountable lead”.

Supporters of Mutharika, 85, and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took to the streets in celebration after Chakwera acknowledged in an address to the nation earlier on Wednesday that he had lost his bid for a second term.

Mutharika, president between 2014 and 2020, campaigned on pledges of a “return to proven leadership” that criticised Chakwera’s handling of the battered economy during his term, when Malawi also suffered drought and cyclones.

“A moment ago, I called Professor Mutharika directly to congratulate him on his historic victory and to wish him well,” Chakwera said.

Even ahead of the official announcement of results, “it was clear that my main rival, Peter Mutharika, had already secured an insurmountable lead over me,” said Chakwera, 70, a former pastor who heads the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).