Mutharika sworn in after unexpected election win

Peter Mutharika (85) was sworn in Saturday as Malawi’s seventh President, reclaiming power in a dramatic political comeback five years after electoral defeat. The ceremony at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre drew thousands of supporters and was cast by officials as a stress test for Malawi’s fragile democracy. The Mail & Guardian reports that Justice Jane Ansah was also sworn in as Vice-President, marking the return of the Democratic Progressive Party to State House. Mutharika promised sweeping reforms and a break with what he called a culture of corruption and entitlement in government. ‘The honeymoon of looting is over,’ he warned. ‘This country does not belong to a party or a tribe. It belongs to the people. Government is not a feast – it is about service, discipline and hard work.’ He described his election as both ‘the will of God and the will of the people’ and painted a stark portrait of a nation in crisis. ‘There is no food. No forex. Businesses are collapsing. The cost of living is unbearable. Government coffers are empty, and nobody knows where the borrowed money has gone,’ he said.

Full Mail & Guardian report