BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Former President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been declared the winner of the presidential election held on September 16, 2025. It was announced by the electoral commission on Wednesday evening.
Mutharika, who previously served as Malawi’s president from 2014 to 2020, won decisively with 3 million votes, which amounts to 56.8% of the total.
He defeated the current president, Lazarus Chakwera, who received 1.77 million votes, or 33%.
This election featured a total of 17 candidates. Notably, Dalitso Kabambe, the former Governor of Malawi’s central bank, finished in third place with 211,413 votes, translating to 5%.
Former President Joyce Banda garnered just over 86,000 votes, representing 1.6% of the total. Out of approximately 7.2 million registered voters, about 5.5 million—76% of the electorate—turned out to cast their ballots.
This announcement marks a major political comeback for Mutharika, who previously served as president from 2014 to 2020 before losing to Chakwera by a wide margin. Mutharika, 85, now inherits an economy in deep crisis, facing a severe shortage of fuel and foreign currency in this impoverished southern African nation.
Before conceding, Chakwera’s party raised concerns about “serious anomalies” during the vote-counting process. However, the chairperson of the electoral commission, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, expressed gratitude to everyone for ensuring that the election occurred smoothly and without any significant logistical issues.
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place seven days after the announcement of the results, according to the electoral commission.
Mutharika, a former law professor, was previously Malawi’s president from 2014 to 2020. In 2019, 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.
The election was rerun more than a year later in 2020, and Chakwera won.
Malawians also voted for the makeup of Parliament and more than 500 local government representatives amid an economic crisis in the southern African nation of about 21 million.
The economy was seen as the primary concern for voters, who had grown weary of fuel shortages and high cost of food.
Inflation has surged to over 27%, while a devastating cyclone in 2023 and a drought last year have exacerbated hardship in a country where more than 80% of the population lives in rural areas, relying mainly on agriculture.
Malawi gained international attention last year when a military plane crash killed 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima, who was popular with young Malawians and seen as a leader in waiting.
Mutharika’s brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, served as Malawi’s president from 2004 until he died in office in 2012.
