It’s official! It’s Peter Mutharika new Malawi President
Outgoing President Joyce Banda, who caused a political storm by seeking to annul the vote, a move that backfired, polled 1,056,236 votes, which 20.2 of the national vote. While Atupele Muluzi of the “Ung’ono ung’ono” fame, got 700,017 votes, representing 13.7 percent of the national vote.
The results were announced by MEC chair Maxon Mbendera, who said: “By virtue of authority invested in me as chair of the MEC, I justice Maxon Mbendera do hereby declare candidate professor Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party as president elect and Saulos chilima as vice president elect respectively of the republic of Malawi.”
DPP supporters immediately burst into chants and song, saying “Boma! Boma”—meaning government.
Mbendera told the new president to “focus on what matters and to spend our taxes efficiently.”
To the losers, he said “please take heart.”
Mbendera shed tears when he announced that one person was killed in Mangochi district during demonstrations. “I deplore this incident and loss of life…our elections are our future.”
Jessie Kabwila, a spokeswoman of the losing Malawi Congress Party, said that her party will challenge the results in courts.
“We are disappointed because this is not a credible election. We will fight through legal means…we are not getting this lying down.”
The party’s candidate Lazarus Chakwera, a novice politician and a former cleric, came second.
“Malawians deserve better. We do not recognise this. You cannot have a president coming from massive irregularities,” Kabwila, who has won a parliamentary seat on the MCP ticket, added.–Marapost