Former President Peter Mutharika's victory in Malawi's September 16, 2025, presidential election was not only emphatic but also a testament to the trust Malawians have bestowed upon him to rebuild the country's economy.
At 85 years old, Mutharika repeatedly said during the campaigns that he had the requisite experience to effectively steer Malawi, whose inflation has topped over 20% for three consecutive years.
Until now, the local currency's significant depreciation has left many citizens concerned, while unemployment levels remain high.
A lack of enough foreign exchange has affected fuel availability and pushed up the cost of living in Malawi, which is a net importer.
Chakwera acknowledges challenges
The country's outgoing President, Lazarus Chakwera, acknowledged during the campaigns that the economic situation in the Southern African nation of 22 million people was "difficult."
President Chakwera, however, said his administration had laid the groundwork for subsequent success.
However, slightly more than 5.5 million Malawians who cast their votes in the recent elections seem not to have been convinced. Among the 17 presidential candidates, it was Mutharika's campaign message that resonated most with their expectations and immediate needs.
This is reflected in the vote count, which showed that Mutharika of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) got 3 million votes (56.8%) against Chakwera's nearly 1.8 million votes (33%) in the recent elections. President Chakwera ran on the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) ticket.
Mutharika's pledges
President-elect Mutharika pledged to stabilise Malawi's kwacha currency, restore integrity in public service, create one million jobs for the youth, invest in energy and infrastructure, strengthen the rule of law, fight corruption, improve food security, and make the civil service more efficient.
According to Malawians, they have played their part at the ballot box, and the onus is now on Mutharika to implement his manifesto.
Mutharika is returning to Malawi's State House for the second time, having served as the country's fifth president from 2014 to 2020.
Were it not for a court petition filed by Chakwera disputing the 2019 presidential election outcome, Mutharika would have served uninterrupted from 2014 until now.
Court challenge
The initial results of the 2019 polls indicated that Mutharika garnered 1.9 million votes (39%) to narrowly defeat Chakwera, who had polled 1.8 million votes (35%) to come second. At the time, a simple majority was enough to secure a presidential candidate's first-round victory at the ballot box. Currently, an absolute majority (over 50%) is required to win in the first round.
Malawi's late Vice President, Saulos Chilima, came third in the 2019 presidential election, securing 1 million votes (20%).
However, the May 2019 election had an interesting twist.
Mutharika had been declared the winner, but Chakwera was dissatisfied with the result.
Mutharika's 2019 win nullified
Chakwera consequently filed a petition at Malawi's Constitutional Court, arguing that Mutharika's faction engaged in electoral malpractices.
In particular, Chakwera submitted that there was evidence of the use of correction fluid during tallying to tamper with the results, manipulation of vote figures, and failure to follow the law before and during the declaration of Mutharika as the president-elect.
In early February 2020, Malawi's Constitutional Court agreed with Chakwera and ordered a fresh election, which was held in June 2020.
In the repeat election, Chakwera teamed up with the second runner-up, Chilima, to secure a resounding victory against Mutharika. The outcome showed that Chakwera got 2.6 million votes (59%), while Mutharika polled nearly 1.8 million votes (40%) to come second.
Chakwera cruises to victory in repeat election
In 2020, Chakwera rode to victory after making several pledges, including fighting corruption in government, creating more jobs for the youth, improving public service delivery, and strengthening democracy and the rule of law.
Gitile Naituli, a governance and public policy expert currently lecturing at the Multimedia University of Kenya, says the electoral outcome in Malawi underscores the people's power to "hold an incumbent leadership to account."
"This highlights the power of the people to change a government through the ballot, especially when there are widespread sentiments that certain crucial electoral promises may not have been delivered upon," Prof. Naituli tells TRT Afrika.
He added that the peaceful general election in Malawi "shows that African democracy is maturing and should serve as a good example to the rest of the world."
PhD at 29 years of age
As Mutharika, who will be deputised by former attorney-general and former electoral commission chief Jane Ansah, plans to reoccupy Malawi's State House, let's briefly take a look at his career profile.
He was born on July 18, 1940, in the tea-growing district of Thyolo in southern Malawi.
He attended elementary schools in Malawi and later pursued his undergraduate degree in law at the University of London, graduating in 1965.
A year later, he earned his master's degree in law from the USA's Yale University, and three years later, in 1969, he graduated with his doctorate degree in law, also from Yale University. He was 29 years old at the time, making him one of the youngest PhD holders of his generation.
Taught law in several countries
Mutharika's areas of expertise are economic law, international law, and constitutional law.
A distinguished legal scholar, Prof. Mutharika has taught law in several universities across the world, including Tanzania's University of Dar es Salaam, Ethiopia's Haile Selassie University, Uganda's Makerere University, the UK's London School of Economics, and the USA's Rutgers University and Washington State University.
Mutharika has also served as an adviser to the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative for Africa, and as the chairperson of the Institute for Democracy and Policy Studies.
In 2008, the decorated professor of law received the International Jurists Award from the International Council of Jurists for his "unique contribution in the field of legal education."
President's adviser
In political and governance circles, Mutharika served as an adviser on issues of foreign and domestic policy to his elder brother, the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, from 2004 until the head of state's death on April 5, 2012.
Dr. Bingu, who had a PhD in Development Economics, was re-elected as Malawi's president in 2009.
During Bingu's presidency, Peter Mutharika also served as Malawi's chief adviser to the president on constitutional, legal, and international affairs. Additionally, the younger Mutharika held separate stints as justice minister, education minister, and later as foreign minister.
Following President Bingu wa Mutharika's death in April 2012, the then-Vice President, Joyce Banda, ascended to the presidency, serving as Malawi's fourth president from 2012 to 2014.
Successful presidential campaign
In the 2014 presidential election, Peter Mutharika successfully ran for office, getting 1.9 million votes (36%), ahead of Chakwera's 1.5 million votes (28%). The then-incumbent President, Banda, came third with 1 million votes (20%).
During his six-year presidency, Mutharika was credited with improving Malawi's infrastructure and lowering inflation. His critics alleged that his administration entertained cronyism, but the law professor denied this.
Mutharika is the father of three children — Mahopela, Moyenda, and Monique — with his late wife, Christophine, who died in 1990.
In June 2014, Prof. Mutharika married Gertrude Maseko, a 65-year-old professional nurse who entered politics and served as a member of parliament in Malawi from 2009 to 2014.
Uncertain economic outlook
Mutharika comes to office at a time Malawi's economic outlook remains highly uncertain.
The Southern African nation's economy is largely driven by the services and agriculture sectors.
Tobacco and tea account for 60% and 20% of the country's agricultural produce respectively.
