Malawi opposition party endorses ex-President Mutharika as flag-bearer

Malawi's main opposition party, the Democratic Progress Party (DPP), has thrown its support behind former President Peter Mutharika as their candidate for the 2025 presidential election.

Mutharika, 84, who served as president from 2014 to 2020, accepted the nomination on Sunday during the party's national convention in Blantyre.

In his acceptance speech, Mutharika promised to revitalise Malawi's struggling economy, which has been hampered by slow growth, foreign currency shortages, and resulting scarcities in fuel and medicine.

"We come from a background of winning against the opposition. We will do the same next year. We are coming to fix the economy," Mutharika declared to his supporters.

Mutharika, the younger brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, lost his bid for re-election in 2020 in a historic repeat election that marked the first time a former ruling party, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), returned to power after a long absence.

Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera inspects a guard of honour on Sunday, August 18, before flying out to the Vatican for talks with Pope Francis and later attend German President and business executives. (Photo: Lazarus Chakwera)

Under the leadership of current President Lazarus Chakwera, the MCP managed to unseat Mutharika, ending his six-year tenure.

However, President Chakwera, who will be seeking a second term in the election scheduled for September 16, 2025, has seen his popularity wane due to controversial policies and a penchant for foreign travel.

His decision to send young Malawians to Israel amid the Gaza conflict has been particularly contentious.

Additionally, Chakwera, an evangelical leader who once lectured at the Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG) EAST University in Nairobi, has faced criticism for his frequent trips abroad.

Chakwera was abroad on a two-day visit to Mozambique at the time of Mutharika's endorsement, followed by attendance at the SADC summit in Zimbabwe.

Rather than returning to Malawi, he continued his travels to Rome to meet with the Pope and then to Germany to attract investment.