Lazarus Chakwera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lazarus Chakwera
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Chakwera in 2022
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| President of Malawi | |
| Assumed office 28 June 2020 |
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| 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 |
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| President | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Harry Mkandawire |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office May 2014 – February 2019 |
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| Preceded by | John Tembo |
| Succeeded by | Lobin Lowe |
| Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North West |
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| In office May 2014 – May 2019 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera
5 April 1955 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 5 April 1955) is a Malawian politician and religious leader. He has been the President of Malawi since June 2020. Before becoming president, he led the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) from 2013. He also served as the head of the Malawi Assemblies of God, a Christian church group, from 1989 to 2013.
Before becoming president, Chakwera was the Leader of the Opposition in Malawi's parliament. This was after the 2019 elections, which were later cancelled by the court. In 2021, he became the chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a group of southern African countries.
Contents
About Lazarus Chakwera
Early Life and Family
Lazarus Chakwera was born in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, on 5 April 1955. At that time, Malawi was under British rule and known as Nyasaland. His father was a teacher who also farmed to support the family. Chakwera married Monica Chakwera on 8 October 1977. They have four children together: one son and three daughters.
Education and Studies
Chakwera completed his first degree in Philosophy from the University of Malawi in 1977. He then studied theology, earning a degree from the University of the North in South Africa. In 1991, he received a master's degree from the University of South Africa. He continued his studies and earned a doctorate degree from Trinity International University in the United States in 2000. In 2005, he became a professor at the Pan-Africa Theological Seminary.
Religious Work
From 1983 to 2000, Chakwera taught at the Assemblies of God's School of Theology. He became the principal of the school in 1996. He also worked as a co-director and lecturer at All Nations Theological Seminary. For 24 years, from 1989 to 2013, he was the president of the Malawi Assemblies of God. In April 2013, he decided to enter politics, surprising many. He announced his plan to run for president with the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
Political Journey
Entering Politics
News about Chakwera wanting to run for president with the MCP first appeared in April 2013. He confirmed these plans on 14 April 2013. He submitted his application to run while still leading the Assemblies of God. The MCP party meeting was moved to August 2013, where he was chosen as the party's president. He then represented the party in the 2014 general elections.
During the 2014 elections, there were talks that the results might not have been 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.
Forming the Tonse Alliance
Chakwera resigned from his role as head of the Malawian Assemblies of God on 14 May 2013. He said this would allow him to focus more on politics. He believed he was still serving God in a different way.
In 2020, Chakwera joined forces with Saulos Chilima, the leader of the UTM party, and other parties. They formed a group called the 'Tonse Alliance'. This alliance was created for the June 2020 Malawi general elections. Chilima ran as Chakwera's vice president. This alliance came about after a court cancelled the 2019 general elections due to many problems with how they were run.
Becoming President
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 28 June 2020. Malawi became the first African country where a presidential election result was cancelled because of issues, and then an opposition leader won the new election.
Presidency of Malawi
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Government Appointments
After becoming president, Chakwera faced some criticism for appointing family members to his cabinet. His first cabinet had 31 members, and six of them were related to another cabinet member. For example, his running mate in 2019, Mo Sidik Mia, became Minister of Transport. His wife, Abida Mia, became Deputy-Minister for Lands. Also, Kenny Kandodo and his sister Khumbize Kandodo both became ministers.
More than 70% of the cabinet ministers were from the central region of Malawi, which is Chakwera's home area. Chakwera said he would address these concerns.
In October 2020, groups working for gender equality protested. They said that President Chakwera had not appointed enough women to public service roles. They said he was not following the Malawi Gender Equality Act, which says women should make up at least 40% of public appointments. The groups took the president to court over this issue.
Changing Presidential Powers
Chakwera has said he wants to reduce the powers of the president. His goal is to make the president more accountable to the people. He also wants 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 this role from Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in August 2021.
Daughter's Appointment
President Chakwera also faced criticism for appointing his daughter, Violet Chakwera, to a diplomatic position in Brussels. This role involved working with the European Union. However, the president strongly denied these reports. He said in a BBC interview in 2021 that the reports were false.
International Relations
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President Chakwera has built a good relationship with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. They described their partnership as "important." Boris Johnson hoped for a lasting partnership between the UK and Malawi. This partnership would focus on promoting green technologies in Malawi.
After the 2021 Zambian election, where Edgar Lungu lost and accepted the results peacefully, President Chakwera praised Zambia. He said that the peaceful changes of power seen in the region are worthy of global praise.
Policies for Malawi
On 16 November 2023, Chakwera announced that he and his government would immediately stop all international travel. This was to save money after the Malawian currency lost a lot of its value. Malawi also agreed to borrow $174 million from the International Monetary Fund to help its economy.
He also ordered all ministers who were abroad to return home right away. He cut fuel allowances for senior government officials by 50%. Chakwera also reduced income tax for individuals to help people with the cost of living.
Future Plans
Second Term as President
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 the 2020 election, there was an understanding between Chakwera and his vice president, Saulos Chilima. They had agreed to take turns being president if their alliance won. Chilima said at a rally that one reason for forming the Tonse Alliance was that after Chakwera's first term, Chilima would lead the alliance in the 2025 elections. Chakwera has not directly said he wants to run for a second term.
Images for kids
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Chakwera in 2022
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Chakwera speaks in 2022
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Chakwera with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2022
See also
In Spanish: Lazarus Chakwera para niños
