Former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi has urged incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera to concede defeat and congratulate Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Peter Mutharika, who is poised to win the country’s recent general elections. Muluzi’s appeal comes as the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) prepares to finalize the tallying and verification of votes, with Mutharika holding a significant lead.
Muluzi said he spoke with Chakwera on Sunday, encouraging the president to publicly accept the election outcome to preserve peace and stability. The former president, who served as Malawi’s first democratically elected leader from 1994 to 2004, highlighted the importance of a peaceful transfer of power, recalling his own handover to the late Bingu wa Mutharika in 2004.
With 24 of 28 district results officially announced, Mutharika has secured over two million votes, compared with Chakwera’s 700,000‑plus. The MEC has until Tuesday to release the official presidential results. Muluzi’s intervention is seen as an effort to reduce political tension and promote a smooth transition, and he has appealed to Malawians to remain calm and reject violence while awaiting the final declaration.
His statement carries weight given his experience as a former president and occasional mediator during crises. The call for calm arrives at a delicate moment, as both the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the opposition DPP trade claims of victory based on parallel tallies. The MEC faces pressure from civil society and international observers to release results transparently, with warnings that delays or suspicions could spark unrest. As the nation awaits the official outcome, Muluzi’s cautionary words are likely to shape how Malawians respond to the final announcement, which will have significant implications for the country’s future and the stability of its democratic transition.
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