Ofure Akhigbe
Malawians will head to the polls tomorrow, September 16, in a tightly contested presidential election that pits incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera against his predecessor, Peter Mutharika, who is staging a dramatic political comeback at the age of 84.
Mutharika, who governed Malawi from May 2014 until June 2020, is running on a platform of economic revival, accusing Chakwera’s administration of mismanagement and worsening poverty. Despite previously suggesting he was retiring from politics, the former leader insists his return is to “rescue the nation.”
His support remains strong in rural and informal communities, where many recall his subsidy programs.
“At the time Peter Mutharika was in power, he reduced the price of fertilizers so everyone had the opportunity to farm,” said Eliza Justin, a market trader in Lilongwe, on Monday. “People were able to sell and buy food. But this is not the case now, because people are scrambling to buy maize.”
Mutharika lost to Chakwera in June 2020 in a historic re-run election, after Malawi’s Constitutional Court annulled the disputed May 2019 polls. The court cited widespread irregularities, including ballot tampering and the use of Tipp-Ex correction fluid on tally sheets. The landmark ruling, delivered in February 2020, was celebrated as a milestone for democracy in Africa — the first time a court overturned a presidential election in Malawi.
Five years later, amid economic hardship and rising discontent, Malawians must now decide whether to reinstate Mutharika or extend Chakwera’s leadership beyond his first term.