Malawian President Mutharika Re-elected

President Peter Mutharika has been re-elected to serve a second term following elections held on May 21. The 78-year old lawyer and brother to former president Bingu wa Mutharika has been in office since 2014.

The official results declared by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) come following a closely contested poll in which Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured 38.5% of the vote, with Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) coming in second with 35.4% of the vote. Just 159,000 votes separated the two candidates.

Salous Chilima, former vice-president to Mutharika, polled 20% of the vote. However, the Malawian voting system does not require a run-off between the two leading candidates if no one contender secures a majority. 

The opposition objected to the official declaration of results, seeking a delay on the basis of alleged irregularities. Chakwera’s MCP specifically called for recounts in at least 10 districts. While an injunction was initially granted it was subsequently removed earlier today. 

Turnout in the election was recorded at 74%, with 6.8 million registered to vote.