Nairobi-Based Catholic Priest Hopes Malawi’s President-Elect, 85, Learnt from Criticisms of His 2014-2020 First Term

Prof. Mutharika is set to succeed Malawi’s incumbent President and his political rival, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, the Malawian politician and theologian who has been the 6th President of the Southern African nation from 2020 until 2025. 

The outgoing President has been at the helm of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) since 2013; he was also president of the Malawi Assemblies of God (MaoG) from 1989 to 2013.

According to a BBC September 24 report, President-elect Mutharika secured victory in the September 16 poll in what is viewed as “a major comeback” for the Malawian politician and theologian with a legal background.

In a presidential election with 15 other candidates, he garnered 57 percent of the votes, compared to the incumbent President’s 33 percent.

Some 7.2 million eligible voters were to take part in the polls to elect their President, Members of Parliament (MPs), and local Councillors across 35 local governments.

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In the September 25 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Kaufa described the outcome of the Malawian presidential election clearly discredits the outgoing government.

“In my view, the result is a clear vote of no confidence in Chakwera's government by largely the rural masses who have suffered the consequences of his economic policies, indecisiveness, and failure to address corruption,” he said.

The official of AMECEA Secretariat however noted that Prof. Mutharika’s victory does not necessarily imply that he is the “best choice” for the rural population, but rather a “lesser evil considering that the same people booted him out in 2019.”

For him, the outgoing 70-year-old President and his administration have lessons to draw from the outcome of the September 16 polls if they wish to return to power in the future.

“There are lessons to draw from this defeat. Most importantly, Malawians are now holding political parties accountable for their manifestos and promises," he said, adding that the coming years should be dedicated to serious introspection.

Reflecting on Malawi’s preparedness for the September 16 general election, the Malawian Montfort missionary observed, “There were a lot of things that could have been done better during the process, especially the voter registration phase.”

“Voter apathy and the reliance on manual counting, which delayed the tallying,” he said, were also evident during the electoral process.

Fr. Kaufa noted that despite the challenges, opposition parties and institutions defending democracy remained vigilant to ensure a free and fair election.

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.