APM Reclaims Presidency—Now Malawians Want Results, Not Excuses
President-elect Peter Mutharika has pulled off one of the greatest political comebacks in Malawi’s history—but analysts warn his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must hit the ground running or risk losing the goodwill that swept them back into power.
Mutharika, 85, reclaimed State House five years after being voted out, defeating President Lazarus Chakwera in the September 16 2025 polls with 3 035 249 votes (56.8 percent) against Chakwera’s 1 765 170 (33 percent). The landslide victory crossed the 50-percent-plus-one threshold, avoiding a run-off and shocking even pollsters who had tipped him to win narrowly.
But political scientists Joseph Chunga, Michael Chasukwa, Mavuto Bamusi and George Phiri say the message from voters is clear: Malawians are tired of hunger, corruption and economic turmoil—and they expect immediate results.
Chasukwa, of the Institute of Public Opinion and Research (Ipor), said undecided voters broke late for Mutharika because he offered practical solutions to the country’s economic crisis. “People wanted parties with serious strategies to fix the economy and fight corruption. DPP capitalised on this and voters responded,” he said.
Chunga, chief investigator at Afrobarometer, agreed, saying Chakwera was judged harshly for presiding over soaring food and fuel prices, forex shortages and mismanagement of resources. “Solutions were seen to be coming from DPP,” he said, noting that UTM supporters also drifted to Mutharika.
Bamusi, publicity secretary for the Political Science Association and a former Mutharika aide, warned that expectations are sky-high. “The economy is bleeding—debt, inflation, corruption, nepotism. Malawians expect DPP to do the opposite of MCP and fix these problems quickly,” he said.
Phiri was more blunt: “Malawians will not be patient. Chakwera was given time, but this time around DPP and Mutharika will not enjoy that luxury. People want prices of basic commodities stabilised now.”
The irony is stark. In 2020, voters ousted Mutharika over nepotism, corruption and poor governance. In 2025, the same electorate has turned to him again, driven by disillusionment with Chakwera and the hope that DPP has learned from its past failures.
The verdict from the pundits: Mutharika’s second act cannot afford a slow start. Malawians have given him a sweeping mandate—not a honeymoon.