Malawi President Chakwera concedes defeat in election, with former leader on course for victory

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BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — President Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat Wednesday in Malawi’s elections, saying former leader Peter Mutharika is the “presumptive winner” of the southern African nation’s presidential election.

Chakwera said in a speech on national television that he had spoken with Mutharika to congratulate him.

“This outcome is a reflection of your collective will to have a change of government, and so it is only right that I concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens and out of respect for the constitution,” Chakwera said in his address to Malawians.

Mutharika, 85, was previously Malawi president from 2014 to 2020. He received more than 60% of the vote in last week's election when partial results were announced on Monday night.

Chakera’s concession came just hours before the final results were expected to be announced later Wednesday.

This was the first national election in Malawi since a chaotic 2019 vote, when then-incumbent Mutharika was declared the winner against Chakwera. But a court nullified the result because of widespread irregularities that included evidence that correction fluid had been used to change vote tally sheets.

That election was rerun more than a year later in 2020 and Chakwera won.

Chakwera's election was greeted at the time by street celebrations. But the 70-year-old former evangelical preacher has since lost popularity, largely due to an ongoing economic crisis in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries.

Soaring inflation and fuel and food shortages have left many of Malawi's 21 million people struggling. Mutharika has campaigned on promises of fixing the economy and restoring experienced leadership.

Mutharika's brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, served as Malawi president from 2004 until his death in office in 2012.

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