Ex-Presidents Enter Malawi Race Amid Economic Turmoil
The southern African country of 21 million people is still struggling with rampant poverty, with almost 75% of the population
The retired law professor, who leads the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, served as president from 2014 to 2020, when his re-election was annulled by the courts due to irregularities. Photo/ Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
Two former presidents of Malawi on Sunday launched separate bids to unseat incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera in September 16 general elections, which are likely to be dominated by soaring inflation—currently nearing 30%—and an escalating economic crisis. The southern African country of 21 million people is still struggling with rampant poverty, with almost 75% of the population living in abject poverty, based on World Bank statistics.
Peter Mutharika, 85, and a longstanding political rival of Chakwera, addressed a crowd of enthusiastic supporters in Blantyre, Malawi’s second-largest city. Mutharika, who heads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), served as president from 2014 until 2020, when his re-election was overturned by the judiciary over election irregularities. In his speech, the retired law professor promised to “rescue” the country from what he described as political repression and economic mismanagement.
“Malawi is under siege—our citizens are hungry, poor, and afraid of a government that should be protecting them,” Mutharika said. “We must follow the government, but we should never fear it.”
Mutharika and other opposition leaders have consistently accused Chakwera’s MCP of suppressing freedom of expression and not doing enough to resolve the country’s economic crisis. Tensions had escalated in June when demonstrators calling for an independent audit of the electoral roll and the resignation of senior electoral commission officials over fraud allegations were assaulted by unidentified individuals. The MCP denied responsibility for the attack.
Also launching her presidential bid on Sunday was former president Joyce Banda, leader of the People’s Party. Banda, 74, began her campaign in the central town of Ntcheu, highlighting youth empowerment and employment as her core priorities. A prominent advocate for women’s rights and education, Banda became Malawi’s first female president in 2012 following the death of then-president Bingu wa Mutharika. However, her presidency was truncated in 2014, and she spent some time in exile after being implicated in the “Cashgate” corruption scandal.
“If I am elected, my first order of business will be clearing the passport backlog so that the youth can seek employment opportunities outside the country,” she told supporters, promising to donate motorcycles to jobless youth to render them self-sufficient.
Besides Mutharika and Banda, at least two other aspirants have entered the fray, including incumbent Vice President Saulos Chilima. President Chakwera, now aged 70, is seeking re-election after winning 58% of the vote in a 2020 court-ordered rerun. The country has been rocked by huge protests earlier this year, driven by the worsening economic crisis. Malawi’s National Statistical Office registered a year-on-year inflation rate of 27.1% in June, the highest in years.
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