Former president Peter Mutharika yesterday broke his three-week s i lence and joined the campaign trail to mobilise voters ahead of the September 16 2025 General Election.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate kicked off his whistle-stop campaign at Nsipe Trading Centre in Ntcheu before addressing a rally at Ntcheu Boma. He later addressed other rally at Six Miles and Biwi Triangle in Lilongwe with an appeal to registered voters to come out in large numbers and vote for him.
In his address at Ntcheu Boma, Mutharika, who was voted out of government through the 2020 court-sanctioned fresh presidential election, said the country’s economic status has worsened during the past five years due to poor leadership
He said: “In 2020, you made a very wrong decision to chase me from State House. Though you chased me out, I have forgiven you and I accepted to contest not for my own benefit, but to rescue this country from the current problems.
“Let’s not repeat what happened in 2020 by voting for people who have ruined this country. Therefore, I urge you to come out in large numbers and even carry sick people on your backs to polling stations to enable them vote to boot out the MCP [Malawi Congress Party] from government.”
In his address, DPP vice-president for the Eastern Region Bright Msaka claimed that the majority of Malawians want change because they are tired of the current administration.
He expressed optimism that Mutharika’s whistle-stop campaign will take him back to State House.
Before making his address at Nsipe, Mutharika called for a minute of silence in remembrance of former vice-president Saulos Chilima who died in a military plane crash along with eight others in June last year and was laid to rest a stone’s throw away from Nsipe Trading Centre.
Upon arrival in Lilongwe, Mutharika was welcomed by thousands of his followers led by DPP vice-president for the Central Region Alfred Gangata.
Addressing the gathering at Biwi, Mutharika asked his followers to maintain peace and order before, during and after the elections and encouraged them to vote for him.
He also thanked DPP supporters for welcoming him in their large numbers.
In his welcoming remarks, Gangata assured Mutharika that the Central Region, including Lilongwe will vote for him.
Meanwhi l e, pol i t i c a l analysts Nandin Patel and Ernest Thindwa observed that people’s turnout for Mutharika’s whistle-stop campaign is an indication that there will be a tight race between DPP and MCP.
Said Patel: “Although there are 17 presidential candidates for the September polls, we know that there are about four political parties that are coming as frontrunners, so DPP is in top two. So the turnout is just an indication that DPP also has massive support in the Central Region.”
On his part, Thindwa said it was not surprising to see Mutharika receiving a warm welcome as he is among the strongest contenders for the presidency.
Malawians go to the polls on September 16 to elect the President, members of Parliament and councillors
