BLANTYRE (Reuters) -Malawi holds a presidential election on September 16, when voters will also cast ballots for members of parliament and local councillors.
The donor-dependent Southern African country is one of the poorest in the world, and it has been hit hard by natural disasters since the last election five years ago.
Below are some of the main contenders in the presidential election. Several in the field of 17 candidates have been president before.
LAZARUS CHAKWERA
Current president Chakwera, 70, is running for a second term.
A former pastor, he won the last election after the judiciary ordered a re-run of the 2019 vote, citing irregularities.
Chakwera has struggled to improve the country’s economic fortunes, presiding over more than three years of double-digit inflation and worsening shortages of fuel and medicine.
On the campaign trail Chakwera has admitted the economy is in bad shape but he has blamed that on natural disasters including a series of tropical cyclones and one of the worst regional droughts in living memory. He has asked voters to give him a second chance.
PETER MUTHARIKA
Mutharika, 85, was president from 2014 to 2020, when he lost to Chakwera.
A former law professor, Mutharika has tried to win over voters by arguing that times were better when he was in charge.
Mutharika is credited with lowering inflation and improving public infrastructure like roads during his first term. But critics accuse him of having nurtured corruption, a charge he rejects.
JOYCE BANDA
Banda, 75, was Malawi’s first female president, in power from 2012 to 2014.
She became head of state after the president at the time, Peter Mutharika’s brother Bingu wa Mutharika, died suddenly.
The “Cashgate” corruption scandal, in which millions of dollars were stolen, was uncovered during her time in office. Banda denied allegations of wrongdoing over the scandal and has since launched a political comeback.
MICHAEL USI
Usi, 56, is a former comedian who is currently vice president. He became Chakwera’s deputy after the previous vice president, Saulos Chilima, died in a plane crash last year.
DALITSO KABAMBE
Kabambe, 51, is a former governor of Malawi’s central bank. He has tried to woo voters with pledges to stabilise the economy.
ATUPELE MULUZI
Muluzi, 47, is the son of former president Bakili Muluzi, who governed from 1994 to 2004. He served as a cabinet minister in the administrations of Joyce Banda and Peter Mutharika.
(Reporting by Frank Phiri; Writing by Anathi Madubela;Editing by Alexander Winning)
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