Just five years after being dramatically unseated by a court ruling, Peter Mutharika is set to return to power as the president of Malawi.
Mutharika, who held the top job from 2014 to 2020, seems to have triumphed in last week's general election, usurping his long-time rival, President Lazarus Chakwera.
Mutharika told voters on the campaign trail that life was simply better under him - Malawi has experienced one of its worst ever economic downturns since Chakwera took office.
However, the record of 85-year-old Mutharika has its own blemishes, from corruption allegations to the debacle that ended his first presidency.
This is the fourth time he has run for office, but initially, Mutharika did not intend to go into politics. Born in 1940 in the tea-growing region of Thyolo, he was raised by two teachers and developed a love for education.
I grew up in a family where my parents were educators, and myself I spent all my life in higher education, at seven universities on three continents, Mutharika commented in 2017, during an address at the UK's Oxford University.
Mutharika attended Dedza Secondary School, known for nurturing notable politicians, and studied law in the 1960s at Yale University.
He became a professor with expertise in international justice, teaching across several continents before entering political life in 2004 under the wing of his brother Bingu, who became Malawi's president.
Mutharika returned home to serve as an adviser to the new president and entered parliament in 2009, where he held various influential cabinet positions.
However, his journey to power has been fraught with political intrigue. Following the death of his brother in 2012, Mutharika became embroiled in a power struggle as the constitution mandated the vice-president to take over. This power tussle led to Mutharika being charged with treason—a charge he dismissed as politically motivated.
His initial presidency was marked by infrastructural development but was overshadowed by accusations of corruption and mishandling resource crises.
The political landscape shifted dramatically when Mutharika was defeated in the 2019 election, a victory that was overturned by a court ruling acknowledging electoral fraud.
Now, in a surprising turn, Mutharika has returned to run against Chakwera, appealing to voters who have faced economic hardships under the current administration.
As he embarks on this new chapter, many in Malawi remain cautiously optimistic, eager to see if Mutharika can deliver on his promises amid rising challenges like inflation and natural disasters.
