Malawi’s Lazarus Chakwera Concedes Defeat to Mutharika in Presidential Race, Echoes Jonathan’s Historic Gesture

Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has formally conceded defeat to his rival, Peter Mutharika, following the tightly watched presidential election. The development, reported by multiple local outlets and obtained by PulseNets, unfolded on Wednesday during a live national broadcast where Chakwera also placed a personal call to Mutharika to congratulate him.

In his address, Chakwera declared, “Out of deep respect for your collective choice as Malawian citizens and in full honour of our constitution, I must accept the outcome and concede this election.”

According to figures reported to PulseNets, Chakwera had secured over 700,000 votes across 24 of the 36 districts announced, while Mutharika garnered an impressive 2,000,000 votes. As at the time this report was filed by PulseNets, the Malawi Electoral Commission had not yet released results from the remaining 12 districts.

The 85-year-old Mutharika, former president, ruled the country between May 2014 and June 2020, making his return a significant political comeback.

Political analysts told PulseNets the moment evokes memories of Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election when then-President Goodluck Jonathan called Muhammadu Buhari to concede even before the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared final results. That historic call was widely praised internationally for calming tensions and preventing potential post-election violence.

Also Read: Malawi President, Lazarus Chakwera confirms death of VP in plane crash

This latest concession by Chakwera, PulseNets reported, is being hailed as a reinforcement of democratic values in Africa and a boost to Malawi’s democratic reputation.