Malawi President Chakwera addresses the nation after election defeat

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera who is currently addressing the nation, has formally accepted defeat.

“I called Peter Muthalika this morning and congratulated him. I wish him well,” he said.

His address comes after a general election in which former President Muthalika is said to have won.

Meanwhile, veteran Zimbabwean investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has this to say over the matter.

He writes:

I am told that outgoing Malawian president, Pastor Lazarus Chakwera, will concede defeat today at 12 noon.

His deputy is opposed to it, but I am informed that the church and former president Dr Bakili Muluzi have prevailed upon him to do the decent thing and leave with some dignity.

The Malawian Electoral Commission is expected to announce the final results at 2PM this afternoon.

Pastor Chakwera has lost the election in a landslide to 85-year-old former president, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.

Pastor Chakwera raised concerns about irregularities, but both the Malawian Electoral Commission and the courts have ruled that even if those irregularities were considered, he would still have lost.

He continues to trail far behind Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, well short of the required 51% needed for victory.