Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat hours before the official declaration of last Tuesday’s general election, saying former president Arthur Peter Mutharika held an unassailable lead.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Chakwera praised the process as “very free and transparent” despite “some anomalies,” and said he had called Mutharika to congratulate him. He urged supporters to remain calm as the Malawi Electoral Commission prepared to publish results later in the day.
Courts on Tuesday rejected Chakwera’s bid to halt the announcement. Businesses in major cities were shuttered as a security precaution while sporadic protests continued in Lilongwe.
Roughly seven million Malawians voted for president, parliament and local councils. Chakwera and Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party were the frontrunners in the closely fought race. Malawi is in southern Africa.