Lazarus Chakwera facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Lazarus Chakwera
Chakwera in 2022

President of Malawi
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 June 2020
Vice President	Saulos Chilima (2020–2024) Michael Usi (2024–present)
Preceded by	Peter Mutharika
Minister of Defense
In office 28 June 2020 – 31 January 2023
President	Himself
Succeeded by	Harry Mkandawire
Leader of the Opposition
In office May 2014 – February 2019
Preceded by	John Tembo
Succeeded by	Lobin Lowe
Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North West
In office May 2014 – May 2019

Personal details
Born	Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera (1955-04-05) 5 April 1955 (age 70) Lilongwe, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now Malawi)
Political party	Malawi Congress Party
Spouse	Monica Chakwera (m. 1977)
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Malawi University of the North University of South Africa Trinity International University

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, born on April 5, 1955, is a politician and religious leader from Malawi. He has been the President of Malawi since June 2020. Before becoming president, he led the Malawi Congress Party starting in 2013. He also served as the head of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013.

Before becoming president, Chakwera was the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Malawi. This followed the 2019 elections, which were later overturned by the Constitutional Court. In August 2021, he became the chairman of the SADC. This happened at the SADC summit held in Lilongwe, Malawi.

About Lazarus Chakwera
His Time as President
See also

About Lazarus Chakwera

Early Life

Lazarus Chakwera was born in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. This was on April 5, 1955, when Malawi was still known as Nyasaland under British rule. His father was a primary school teacher. His family also grew their own food to help make ends meet.

Lazarus married Monica Chakwera on October 8, 1977. They have four children together: one son and three daughters.

His Education

Chakwera earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Malawi in 1977. He then studied theology, getting an Honours degree from the University of the North in South Africa. In 1991, he completed a master's degree (MTh) from the University of South Africa. He later received a doctorate (D.Min) from Trinity International University in the United States in 2000. By 2005, he became a professor at the Pan-Africa Theological Seminary.

Religious Career

From 1983 to 2000, Chakwera worked as an instructor at the Assemblies of God's School of Theology. He became the principal of the school in 1996. He also served as a co-director and lecturer at All Nations Theological Seminary. From 1989 to 2013, he was the president of the Malawi Assemblies of God. In April 2013, he surprised many by announcing his plan to run for president of the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP). He made this announcement while still leading the Assemblies of God.

Political Journey

Reports about Chakwera wanting to run for the MCP's presidential race first appeared in April 2013. He confirmed these plans soon after. Chakwera submitted his nomination papers while still leading the Malawi Assemblies of God. The MCP convention was held in August 2013, where he was elected as the party's president. He then represented the party in the 2014 general elections.

During the 2014 Malawi General elections, there were rumors that the elections were not fair. Chakwera asked all Malawians to stay calm and accept the results. He told them to wait for the next elections. Besides leading the main opposition party, he also served as a member of parliament for the Lilongwe North West area.

Chakwera resigned as the head of the Malawian Assemblies of God in May 2013. He said this would allow him to focus more on politics. He believed he was still serving God in a different way. Chakwera later joined forces with UTM leader Saulos Chilima and other parties. They formed the 'Tonse Alliance' for the June 2020 Malawi general elections. Chilima ran as vice president in this alliance. This alliance formed after a court ruled that the 2019 General elections had many problems.

Chakwera won the 2020 Malawian presidential election against the sitting president, Peter Mutharika. He received almost 59% of the votes. Chakwera was sworn in as the sixth president of Malawi on June 28, 2020. Malawi became the first African country where a presidential election result was overturned due to issues, and an opposition leader then won the new election.

His Time as President

Chakwera speaks in 2022

Cabinet Choices

After Chakwera became president, some people criticized his choices for cabinet members. His first cabinet had 31 members, and some were related to each other. For example, Sidik Mia, who ran with Chakwera in 2019, became Minister of Transport. His wife, Abida Mia, became the deputy-Minister for Lands.

Similarly, Ken Kandodo and his sister Khumbize Kandodo both became ministers. Kenny was the Minister for Labour, and Khumbize was the Minister for Health. Also, Gospel Kazako became Minister of Information, and his sister-in-law Agnes Nkusa Nkhoma became the deputy-Minister for Agriculture. Many of the cabinet ministers were from the central region of Malawi, which is Chakwera's home area. Chakwera said he would address these concerns.

Groups working for gender equality held protests in October 2020. They were protesting that not enough women were appointed to public service roles. These groups said President Chakwera was not following the Malawi Gender Equality Act. This law states that at least 40 percent of public appointments should be women. The activists took the President to court over this issue.

Reducing Presidential Powers

Chakwera has stated that he is working to reduce the powers of the president. This is to make sure the president is more accountable to the people. It also aims to make other parts of the government stronger.

Leading SADC

Lazarus Chakwera was chosen by the member countries of SADC to be their chairperson. He took over from Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in August 2021. He is currently the chairman of SADC.

Daughter's Appointments

Chakwera has faced some criticism for appointing his daughter to a diplomatic position. His daughter, Violet Chakwera, was appointed as a diplomatic secretary to Brussels for the EU. The president has strongly denied reports that these appointments were unfair. He stated this in a BBC interview during his visit to the UK in 2021.

Foreign Relations

Chakwera with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2022

President Chakwera has built a good relationship with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He described their partnership as "crucial." Johnson hoped for a lasting partnership between the UK and Malawi. This partnership would focus on promoting green technologies in Malawi. Malawi's government spokesperson, Gospel Kazako, said they would discuss "various development, trade and investment deals." He added that Malawi stood to benefit greatly.

After the 2021 Zambian general election, where Edgar Lungu lost to Hakainde Hichilema and accepted the results peacefully, President Chakwera praised this. He said that the peaceful changes in power seen in the region, with Zambia being the latest example, deserve global recognition.

Domestic Policies

On November 16, 2023, Chakwera announced that he and his government would immediately stop all international travel. This was to save money after the Malawian Kwacha currency lost 44% of its value. It also followed an agreement to borrow $174 million from the International Monetary Fund to help the country's economy. He also ordered all ministers who were abroad to return home right away. He reduced fuel allowances for senior government officials by 50%. Chakwera also ordered a reduction in income tax for individuals. This was to help people with the rising cost of living.

Future Elections

In an interview with Zodiak Broadcasting Station, a local radio station, Chakwera said that it would be up to the people to re-elect him in 2025. This is when Malawi will hold its next presidential elections. Other senior members of his Malawi Congress Party have also said that Chakwera will run in 2025. This is allowed by his party's rules.

Before his death, there were discussions about a possible disagreement between Chakwera and former vice president Chilima. It was believed that they had agreed to take turns as president before forming their alliance. During a political rally in Blantyre before the 2020 presidential race, Chilima said that one reason for the Tonse Alliance was that after Chakwera's first term, Chilima would lead the alliance in the 2025 presidential elections. Chakwera has not directly said he wants to run for a second term.