President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Malawi opposition alliance leader, Lazarus Chakwera, the winner of the country’s presidential election re-run.
The alliance won the re-run five months after the first vote with 58.57 percent of the total votes as declared by the country’s electoral commission.
“Greetings from the government and people of Nigeria. I congratulate you and the alliance on your impressive victory in the elections,” a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu read.
Thank you, Malawi. pic.twitter.com/QSrZbrC5r1
— Dr. Lazarus Chakwera (@LAZARUSCHAKWERA) June 29, 2020
“I look forward to working with you for the advancement of peace, security and development of the entire continent,” said the President.
Born in Lilongwe, the current capital of Malawi, on 5 April 1955 when the country was still under British colonial rule, Chakwera was named after the Biblical character Lazarus raised from the dead.
This was because two of his brothers born before him died in infancy and his father, believing that he would live, gave him the name Lazarus.
He is a Malawian theologian and politician. He has been leader of the Malawi Congress Party since 2013 and was previously Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly following highly controversial elections held on 21 May 2019 which were overturned by the Constitutional Court.
He was also President of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 14 May 2013.
