He faces a strong challenge from Chakwera, leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who came a narrow second in the 2014 election. NARROW MARGINDan Banik, a politics professor at the University of Malawi, told AFP that the election posed many questions. As leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Mutharika has a mixed economic record since 2014. Chilima, a youthful 46-year-old, quit the ruling DPP last year and set up the United Transformation Movement (UTM) to contest the election. Prior to becoming leader of the party, Chakwera was president of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013.

Source: Daily Nation May 21, 2019 05:03 UTC