Peter Mutharika vowed to stamp out corruption and revive Malawi’s troubled economy after being sworn in on Saturday for a second term as president.
Mutharika, 85, won more than 56% of the vote in last month’s election, defeating outgoing president Lazarus Chakwera, 70, who received 33%. It was the fourth time the two rivals faced off, with voters punishing Chakwera after five years of worsening economic strain in one of the world’s poorest nations.
Speaking at a packed stadium in the commercial hub of Blantyre, where supporters in the Democratic Progressive Party’s blue-and-white colours mingled with government officials and visiting African leaders, Mutharika said he was inheriting a country in crisis.
“Malawi is facing acute food shortages, cost-of-living pressures, and a shortage of foreign exchange that has crippled businesses and caused persistent fuel shortages,” he said, adding: “There is no money in government. Borrowing is extremely high, and nobody knows where the borrowed money has gone.”
Promising “tough and painful decisions,” Mutharika declared: “We will fix this country. I don’t promise you milk and honey. I promise you hard work… The honeymoon of looting government is over.”
He appealed for international investment and addressed U.S. President Donald Trump directly, saying he would soon dispatch a delegation to Washington to discuss prospects following cuts to U.S. aid.
Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party said in a statement that, although the outgoing leader did not attend the ceremony, he wished Mutharika good health and success.