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Reuters
Lazarus Chakwera’s political fortunes were revived by a court ruling that annulled in 2015’s problematic election.
Lazarus Chakwera has been sworn in as president of Malawi after winning an election rerun.
” Time has actually come for us to wake up and to make our dreams come to life,” Mr Chakwera said in his triumph speech.
He beat incumbent Peter Mutharika with 58.57%of the vote in Tuesday’s poll.
In February, Malawi’s constitutional court annulled Mr Mutharika’s victory in the May 2019 election, mentioning vote tampering.
The country was bitterly divided in the run-up to today’s election.
Other countries in Africa have had elections annulled – it occurred in Kenya in 2017 – however for the opposition candidate to then go on and win a rerun is unprecedented.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s results, Mr Mutharika said that while he discovered the election “unacceptable”, it was his “genuine hope that we need to take this nation forward rather of backwards.”
Saulos Chilima, Mr Chakwera’s running mate, was likewise sworn in as vice-president at an event in the capital, Lilongwe.
Mr Chakwera, a Pentecostal preacher and previous theology lecturer, will first need to heal a country that has actually been through many months of political turmoil.
What did the new president state?
” Fellow Malawians to stand before you as your president today is an honour,” Mr Chakwera said in a speech after being sworn in.
He promised to join the nation and fight hardship.
” Of what use is freedom from oppression if you and I are servants to hunger? Or freedom from colonialism if you are a slave to tribalism?,” he stated.
” Time has come for us to surpass dreaming, time has actually come for us to get up, to arise from slumber, and to make our dreams come true,” Mr Chakwera said.
” With your help we will bring back faith in having a federal government that serves; not a government that rules, a government that influences, not a government that inf