Malawi President Chakwera concedes defeat in election, with former leader on course for victory

President Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat Wednesday in Malawi’s elections, saying former leader Peter Mutharika is the “presumptive winner” of the southern African nation’s presidential election.

Chakwera said in a speech on national television that he had spoken with Mutharika to congratulate him.

“This outcome is a reflection of your collective will to have a change of government, and so it is only right that I concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens and out of respect for the constitution,” Chakwera said in his address to Malawians.

Mutharika, 85, was previously Malawi president from 2014 to 2020. He received more than 60% of the vote in last week’s election when partial results were announced on Monday night.

Chakera’s concession came just hours before the final results were expected to be announced later Wednesday.

This was the first national election in Malawi since a chaotic 2019 vote, when then-incumbent Mutharika was declared