Malawian opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in as president on Sunday, the day after his victory in an organized election was declared following the resignation of outgoing Peter Mutharika in 2019.
“I solemnly swear to act as President of the Republic of Malawi and to preserve and defend the Constitution,” said Chakwera at a ceremony in Lilongwe, the capital of this small southern African country.
Vice President Saulos Chilima, who had broken up with Mr. Mutharika and allied with the Leader of the Opposition, was also sworn in as Vice President.
Malawi is the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to have canceled a presidential election, after Kenya in 2017.
More than 4 million voters voted Tuesday for the second time in a year, after the cancellation of Mr. Mutharika’s re-election in May 2019 due to massive fraud.
After four long days of counting, the president of the Electoral Commission (MEC) Chifundo Kachale confirmed the large victory of Mr. Chakwera, a former evangelical pastor of 65 years, with 58.57% of the votes.
He is ahead of Peter Mutharika, 79, in power since 2014, by more than 800,000 votes.
A cheering crowd greeted the assumption of office with songs and cries of joy.
– “Desire for change” –
Addressing his fellow citizens, the new president thanked them for having given him this honor, saying that he was “filled with indescribable joy”.
“It is an honor forged in the crucible of your desire and your aspiration for change,” added Mr. Chakwera.
In a speech on the Place de la Liberté de Lilongwe, he pledged to restore “confidence in the possibility of having a government in the service” of the population, but also to be the president of all Malawites, including of those who did not vote for him.
The new president has campaigned on the economic failure and corruption of the Mutharika regime.
The outgoing head of state has not spoken since the proclamation of his defeat, but a few hours earlier he had denounced irregularities during the vote.
His Progressive Democratic Party (DPP) demanded the outright cancellation of the results, suggesting a new battle in court.
But the MEC rejected these claims, assuring that all the complaints had been dealt with. And political analysts interviewed by AFP said they were very skeptical about the possibility of a third election.
During the disputed election in May 2019, the MEC proclaimed the victory of Peter Mutharika, with 38.57% of the vote against 35.41% in Lazarus Chakwera.
However, the Leader of the Opposition contested the results and his supporters took to the streets for several months to have the poll canceled. Their demonstrations had been the scene of frequent violence with the police.
In February 2020, the Constitutional Court finally ruled in opposition, invalidating the results on the grounds of “generalized and systematic irregularities” and ordering a new ballot.
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