President Hage Geingob yesterday joined several other African leaders in sending congratulatory messages to Malawi’s new President Lazarus Chakwera, on his victory in the country’s presidential elections re-run.
Chakwera was sworn in on Sunday, alongside his deputy Saulos Chilima, at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) square in Lilongwe, the capital, a day after the Malawi Electoral Commission declared they had won a presidential race.
Geingob said the success of the election is a demonstration that democracy has come of age as an integral cornerstone of the political culture of Malawians and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a whole.
“I look forward to working closely with you (President Chakwera), to further deepen and strengthen our bilateral cooperation, as well as advancing our regional and continental development agenda,” Geingob said.
“We commend our Malawian brothers and sisters for having exercised their inalienable democratic rights peacefully and successfully, thereby concluding the elections amidst the difficult situation of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Geingob said through his spokesperson Alfredo Hengari.
“President Geingob wishes President Chakwera good health, strength and wisdom in the execution of his mandate,” Hengari added.
On his part, the president of the official opposition, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), McHenry Venaani said Chakwera’s victory heralds a new era of public institutions, particularly of the judiciary that annulled the “tipex” fraudulent election, allowing for a re-run whose outcome declared Chakwera the victor.
“We call upon all public institutions across Africa to bring an end to serving in the interest of incumbent governments but to serve in the interest of the general citizenries,” Venaani said through his spokesperson Inaa Hengari.
“The conduct of the electoral commission in that country after the annulment of the first poll is testament to that no institution must subvert the will of the people,” further stated the Namibian opposition leader.
Venaani said in a conference call with Chakwera on Sunday, he urged the newly-elected President Chakwera and his colleague of many years, to provide leadership that is people-centred, and that his administration eschews from corruption and to put God ahead of all its efforts.
He said he takes confidence in Chakwera’s assurance that he will serve as God’s servant in trust of the people.
“We have assured each other of a meeting between our parties as soon as possible to discuss deeper cooperations. Again, congratulations to the people of Malawi for voicing out on the many injustices and for instilling hope in the people of Africa,” he said.