La Peter: Mutharika named Malawi new president

Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Justice Annabell Mtalimanja, has announced that Professor Peter Mutharika has won the September 16 presidential election with 3,035,249 votes, representing 56.8 percent of the total votes cast.

Speaking during the official declaration on Wednesday evening, Justice Mtalimanja said the result makes Mutharika the duly elected President of the Republic of Malawi in line with the Constitution.

She cited Section 81(3) of the Constitution, which provides that a person elected as President shall be sworn into office within thirty days after being declared winner.

But according to Section 83(1) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the term of office of the President begins on the date of swearing in and continues until a successor is sworn in.

Professor Mutharika, who previously served as Malawi’s President from 2014 to 2020, will be taking over from outgoing President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera once the handover process is complete.