DUA congratulates newly elected Malawi President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera

IDU’s African affiliate, the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA) and its partners congratulate Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, leader of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) for wining the elections with 58.57% of the votes and being sworn in as President of Malawi.

After the annulment of the May 2019 elections by Malawi’s supreme court due to widespread irregularities, street protests and deadly unrest the election of Dr. Chakwera marks the beginning of a new era for the country. This historic rerun of Malawi’s presidential election won by the opposition, is the first time a court-overturned vote in Africa has led to the defeat of an incumbent leader.

Lazarus Chakwera’s victory has been achieved with sustained vigilance and a call to respect the choice of the Malawian people. “This is a win for Malawians, it is a win for democracy, a win for justice [which will] enable the nation to really reset and begin to build a new kind of Malawi in which all of us together will be involved” Dr. Chakwera stated after his victory was official.

Rebuilding a better Malawi is a challenging task for President Chakwera, his Vice President , Dr. Saulos Chilima and the whole team of the MCP, giving the level of poverty and unemployment in the country. DUA strongly supports Dr. Chakwera and believes that under this new leadership, Malawi will experience improved democratic governance, civil liberties and socio-economic progress while immediate steps are taken to restore calm and order after the tensions that engulfed the nation since the last disputed elections.