Former Malawi President Plans Comeback In Next Election

Former Malawi President Peter Mutharika has been chosen to lead the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) into next year’s presidential election.

It marks a comeback for the 84-year-old, who ruled Malawi for six years and later said he would not run again.

He surprised many with his change of heart. He recently said that his supporters want him to save the country from the downfall of President Lazarus Chakwera.

Mr Mutharika lost to Mr Chakwera in 2020, in a re-election ordered by the country’s Constitutional Court after it annulled the previous year’s election.

Judges had ruled that the 2019 election had been subject to widespread manipulation, including the use of Tipp-Ex correction fluid on ballot papers, and that Mr Mutharika’s declared victory in that election was null and void.

Malawi’s judiciary has been praised for its courage by refusing to accept a second-tier election, and the political consequences for the former president’s party have been ugly.

After a period of internal discord, the DPP expelled a number of members, including those who wanted to challenge Mr Mutharika for the party chairmanship, allowing him to be re-elected as party leader without any opposition.

Monday’s announcement that he had received his party’s official endorsement as presidential candidate was largely a formality.

This means that Mr Mutharika and Mr Chakwera will face each other at the polls for the third time, after both having won and lost in the past.

Mr Mutharika told his party colleagues he was prepared to take back power “to remove an incompetent government that sees nothing, hears nothing and does nothing”.

He appears to have strong support from his party, but critics say the party should have chosen a younger, more energetic leader as its torchbearer in next year’s polls.

His rival, the current President Chakwera, is 15 years younger than him.

President Chakwera came to office promising to “clean up corruption”, create one million jobs for unemployed youth and ensure food security so that all Malawians have three meals a day.

His government admits it is struggling to deliver on its election promises, but blames Covid-19 early in its term, natural disasters such as cyclones and the economic downturn caused by the war in Ukraine.

Government officials, including Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu, have repeatedly said that despite these problems, the current government is outperforming its predecessors by creating systems that make it difficult for corruption to flourish.

Successes include the reintroduction of rail services in Malawi for the first time in more than three decades, helping to reduce the cost of transporting goods. Major road construction is also underway, particularly in the capital, Lilongwe.

The ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) will have to defend that record in the elections and could still make age a major campaign issue. The question could be raised whether former President Mutharika is physically and mentally capable of governing again.