Malawi’s political landscape is heating up as two former presidents, Peter Mutharika and Joyce Banda, launched separate campaigns on Sunday to challenge President Lazarus Chakwera in the upcoming general elections scheduled for September 16.
The race unfolds against a backdrop of economic turmoil, with inflation nearing 30 percent and widespread poverty affecting nearly three-quarters of the country’s 21 million citizens, according to the World Bank.
Peter Mutharika, 85, a former president and leader of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), addressed thousands of supporters in Blantyre, vowing to “rescue” Malawi from what he described as political oppression and economic collapse. “Today, Malawi is under oppression — hunger, poverty, and fear of the very government meant to protect us,” said Mutharika, who lost the presidency in 2020 after a court nullified his re-election due to vote irregularities.
Joyce Banda, 74, Malawi’s first female president and head of the People’s Party, also announced her candidacy during a rally in Ntcheu. She pledged to focus on youth employment, including immediate efforts to resolve the country’s passport backlog to allow job-seeking abroad. “I will provide motorcycles to unemployed youth to promote financial independence,” she said.
The campaigns come amid growing frustration with President Chakwera’s administration, which has been accused by opposition figures of suppressing dissent. In June, tensions flared when unidentified attackers disrupted a protest calling for an independent audit of the voters’ register and the resignation of electoral commission officials accused of fraud. The ruling Malawi Congress Party has denied involvement.
President Chakwera, 70, who won a court-ordered rerun in 2020 with 58 percent of the vote, is expected to seek re-election. At least two other candidates, including the current vice president, have joined the race.
With the economy in crisis and public trust in institutions wavering, the upcoming election is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal in Malawi’s democratic history.
Written By Rodney Mbua
