President Chakwera Concedes Defeat In Historic Malawi Election
President Lazarus Chakwera has conceded defeat hours before the final announcement of reults by the country’s electoral authority. His concession follows preliminary results, which indicate that former president Peter Mutharika has secured over the necessary 50 percent threshold.
In a statement, Chakwera acknowledged that his challenger had an insurmountable lead: “For this reason, a moment ago, I called Professor Mutharika directly to congratulate him on his historic victory and to wish him well in his upcoming tenure as the seventh President of the Republic of Malawi.”
Last week’s elections triggered one of the biggest political shake-ups in the country’s history, with more than 110 of the 193 Members of Parliament losing their seats – among them 14 Cabinet ministers.
Given the deteriorating economy, which has been marked by high inflation and fuel shortages, some analysts have said Chakwera’s defeat was not unexpected.
