Two Malawi ex-presidents join race to unseat current leader

Blantyre: Two former Malawian presidents on Sunday launched separate campaigns to unseat President Lazarus Chakwera in the country s upcoming general...

Blantyre: Two former Malawian presidents on Sunday launched separate campaigns to unseat President Lazarus Chakwera in the country's upcoming general elections scheduled for September 16.

Concerns about runaway inflation nearing 30 percent and a severe economic crisis are set to dominate the polls in the small southern African nation, where nearly three-quarters of the population of 21 million lives in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.

Addressing thousands of supporters in Malawi's second-largest city, Blantyre, Chakwera's longtime rival Peter Mutharika, 85, vowed to "rescue" the country from political and economic hardship.

The retired law professor, who leads the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, served as president from 2014 to 2020, when his re-election was annulled by the courts due to irregularities.

"Today, Malawi is under oppression -- hunger, poverty, and fear of the very government meant to protect us," Mutharika said. "We should respect government, not fear it."