Thousands of Malawians cheered as Peter Mutharika was sworn in as president for a second term at a ceremony in Blantyre, after last month’s elections.
Mutharika, who previously served as the Southern African nation's fifth president from 2014 to 2020, made an emphatic return to the presidency following his victory in the September 16, 2025 presidential election.
The professor of law garnered 3 million votes (56.8%) against Lazarus Chakwera's nearly 1.8 million (33%).
Peter Mutharika took oath as the seventh president of Malawi and Jane Ansah as vice-president in a ceremony presided over by Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda at Kamuzu Stadium.
In his inaugural speech, Mutharika declared that the “honeymoon of plundering government resources is over”.
Integrity and efficiency
He said his administration will be determined to restore integrity and efficiency in public service.
“Malawi belongs to all of us, regardless of political, cultural, or religious background. So, if anyone acts to the contrary, I will go after him or her. Never say I never warned you,” he cautioned.
The ceremony was attended by several African leaders including President Daniel Chapo of Mozambique, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and ministers from Angola, Namibia, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
