Malawi’s new President Lazarus Chakwera yesterday pledged to clamp down on corruption as he delivered his inauguration speech in a scaled-down ceremony dampened by a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Chakwera unseated former leader Peter Mutharika in a June 23 re-run election after the 2019 polls were overturned by a court, citing irregularities.
The ruling echoed one by a Kenyan court in 2017, which cancelled President Uhuru Kenyatta’s election win.
Both were surprising on a continent in which courts rarely flex their muscles against powerful presidents.
The repeat vote was regarded as a test of the ability of African courts to tackle ballot fraud and restrain presidential authority, and the power transition was cheered by pro-democracy activists and many of Malawi’s 18mn citizens.
The increase in Covid-19 infections, however, dampened the inauguration, which would have coincided with Independence Day celebrations that were also called off.
The inauguration was initially planned for a 40,000-capacity national stadium in the capital Lilongwe, but Chakwera called for a much smaller event.
Many watched it on television and others in rural Malawi listened to his speech on radio, without much fanfare across the country.
“It is no secret that we have had one administration after another shifting its post to the next election, promising prosperity but delivering poverty...promising good governance but delivering corruption,” Chakwera told a small audience of about 100 dignitaries at the headquarters of the Malawi Defences Forces on the outskirts of Lilongwe.
“Before we can begin to rebuild, we must clear the rubble of corruption, for it has left our taxes in ruins; we must clear the rubble of donor dependency, for it has left our dignity in ruins,” he added.
Critics had accused former president Mutharika of doing little to tackle corruption.
Covid-19 cases in Malawi have more than doubled in the past two weeks to reach 1,406, with 19 deaths, and Chakwera is promising to take action in one of the few countries yet to impose a national lockdown.
AFP adds: A triumphant Chakwera gave a rousing speech after receiving the sword of command from the army general Peter Namathanga in Lilongwe yesterday.
“We must have the courage to face and endure the pain if we ever want to enjoy wholeness as a nation,” said the former evangelical preacher, who campaigned on rooting out corruption and reviving the economy of the aid-dependant southern African country.
“We must each accept that in the context of Malawi’s recovery and transformation...We are each in some way part of Malawi’s problems and must each in some way be part of her solution.”
As part of a push to curb executive power, he committed to publish a declaration of assets every year as well as address parliament over his actions.
He also singled out “laziness”, “donor dependency”, “unprofessionalism”, “incompetence” and the “impunity” of those in power.
The inauguration was held at Malawi’s army headquarters named after founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda. Malawi yesterday announced 129 new infections, 7% of its total of 1742 cases.
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera shows the sword of office to the people after he received it from the Commander of the Malawi Defence Force, General Peter Namathanga, during his inauguration at the Kamuzu Barracks, the Malawi Defence Fore Headquarters, in Lilongwe.
