Malawi’s 2025 presidential election saw a dramatic turn, with incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera losing to former President Peter Mutharika in a decisive outcome.
One critical reason for Chakwera’s defeat was that he appeared to forget the ordinary Malawians who had voted for him, many of whom continued to face severe hardships, including poverty, food insecurity, and rising living costs.
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Another significant factor was his poor choice of personnel; Chakwera appointed the wrong individuals into key positions within his administration, despite repeated warnings about their incompetence from political analysts and civil society actors.
Many of these appointments were influenced by tribal affiliations, friendships, or familial connections rather than professional merit, which undermined public confidence and fueled perceptions of favoritism within the government.
Chakwera’s handling of the death of Vice President Saulos Chilima further weakened his political standing, as mismanagement of this sensitive situation contributed to the breakdown of his alliance with the United Transformation Movement (UTM), whose supporters then voted massively against him and backed the DPP.
The president’s oversight in managing MCP parliamentary primaries also played a role in his defeat, as sidelining rightful candidates led to internal dissent and publicized dissatisfaction, fracturing the party at a critical electoral moment.
Perhaps the most consequential mistake was his selection of a running mate, which deepened divisions within his party and weakened its unity at a time when cohesion was crucial for retaining voter support.
Chakwera’s indecisiveness on corruption issues compounded these problems; he was slow to remove underperforming or corrupt officials, relying on yes-men who reinforced what he wanted to hear rather than the unvarnished truth.
Ultimately, the incumbent president underestimated the intelligence and political agency of the Malawian electorate, assuming that the voters who supported him previously would automatically remain loyal, a miscalculation that proved costly.
Political analysts argue that these interconnected failures—neglecting the electorate, poor appointments, internal party mismanagement, flawed alliances, and indecisiveness on corruption—collectively led to Chakwera’s loss in the 2025 election.
The election underscores broader lessons for Malawi’s democracy: political leaders must remain attuned to citizens’ needs, ensure accountability, prioritize competence over loyalty, and maintain internal party unity to sustain public trust and electoral success.