Mutharika declared winner of Malawi presidential election with 56.8%

Former president Peter Mutharika was declared the winner of Malawi's presidential election after the electoral commission announced late Wednesday that he had secured roughly 56.8 percent of valid votes cast in the September 16 poll, a result confirmed after incumbent Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat. Chakwera said in a national address that he had called Mutharika to congratulate him and that he accepted the outcome out of respect for citizens and the constitution.

Partial results released in the days after the vote showed wide variation as officials tallied returns from the country's 36 local councils. Early provisional counts from a subset of councils suggested Mutharika led with about 51 percent in some areas, while later partial tallies showed him rising as high as about 68 percent in declared councils. The electoral commission said it was crosschecking every tally sheet to ensure accuracy and had warned candidates against declaring victory prematurely.

The vote was billed as a two-way contest between Mutharika, 85, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, and Chakwera, 70, leader of the Malawi Congress Party. A candidate must obtain more than 50 percent of valid votes...