MALAWI – The Malawi president Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday conceded presidential election defeat to the former president Arthur Peter Mutharika, following Tuesday’s general elections.

His concession comes hours before the Malawi Electoral Commission announced the results officially.

“I have therefore conceded defeat and I have called President-elect Arthur Peter Mutharika to congratulate and wish him well on his victory,” said Chakwera, adding that his rival is too far ahead in the vote for him to close the gap.

“I commend the Malawi Electoral Commission for being transparent in the management of the electoral process. This level of professionalism has to be maintained for the sake of our democracy,” he said.

The former evangelical pastor appealed for calm among his supporters after the poll results were announced. The official results for the East African country are set to be announced later this afternoon.

As the country awaits the results, businesses have been closed in major towns and cities as part of security measures.

On Tuesday evening, courts rejected Chakwera’s request for an injunction to stop the electoral body from announcing the results.

Over the last two days his supporters have been protesting the poll results on the streets of the capital Lilongwe.

On Tuesday, 7 million eligible Malawians went to the polls to elect a new president, members of parliament, and councilors to govern the country for the next five years.

Chakwera and Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were front-runners in the hotly contested poll.

Former President Arthur Peter Mutharika Declared Winner

Malawi’s former President Arthur Peter Mutharika was declared the winner Wednesday, easily beating incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera.

Judge Annabel Mtalimanja, chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), declared the 85-year-old former law professor the winner, one week after 7 million voters went to the polls to elect a new president, members of parliament and councilors to govern the Southern African nation for the next five years.

Affectionately known as “Dad” by his supporters, Mutharika, from the Democratic Progressive Party (MPP), amassed 3 million votes. Chakwera, from the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) received 1.8 million votes.

Thousands of Malawians thronged the streets of major cities and towns in jubilation after the announcement.

The two rivals were facing each other for the fourth time since the country reverted to multiparty politics in 1993, in the hotly contested poll.

Mutharika defeated Chakwera in the 2014 elections and again in 2019, but those results were annulled by Malawi’s Constitutional Court because of “massive irregularities.”

Chakwera went on to win the 2020 court-sanctioned polls backed by a nine-party electoral alliance.

The election took place against a backdrop of rising socioeconomic pressures.

Other prominent presidential hopefuls included former President Joyce Banda of the People’s Party (PP), Atupele Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Dalitso Kabambe of the United Transformation Movement (UTM).

The Constitution states that a swearing-in ceremony of the president-elect has to take place seven days after a winner is declared.