Lazarus Chakwera

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Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera (born April 5, 1955 in Lilongwe , Nyasaland ) is a Malawian politician of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), theologian and president since June 28, 2020 .

He ran as a candidate for an opposition alliance in the 2020 presidential election. In the two previous elections, he had received the second most votes.

Life

Chakwera was born the son of a subsistence farmer . Two older brothers died early, so the next born son was named after the biblical Lazarus raised from death .

In 1977 he received his Bachelor of Arts Philosophy from the University of Malawi . He studied theology and graduated with a B. Th. From the University of the North in Sovenga, South Africa. From 1983 he was a trainer at the Assemblies of God School of Theology, from 1996 as head of the facility. From 1989 to May 2013 he was President of the Malawi Assemblies of God. In 1991 he received a master's degree in theology, and in 2000 he received his PhD from the Evangelical Trinity International University in Deerfield , Illinois . In 2005 he was appointed professor at Pan-Africa Theological Seminary .

On 14 April 2013 he applied for the chair of the former single party Malawi Congress Party. The party conference was postponed to August 2013. Chakwera was elected there and was therefore also a presidential candidate in the 2014 presidential election , where he finished second behind Peter Mutharika with 28% . He also won the Lilongwe North West constituency in the National Assembly and was opposition leader there.

In the 2019 presidential election , he again came second with around 35%, behind incumbent Mutharika (39%). In February 2020, the MCP and other opposition groups legally forced a re-election for which Chakwera was nominated as a candidate for the broad opposition alliance Tonse Alliance . In the course of his candidacy, he gave up his parliamentary mandate in May 2020. In the re- election in June 2020 , an absolute majority voted for Chakwera with 58% of the votes , so that he accepted the office of president on June 28, 2020.

Lazarus Chakwera is married to Monica Chakwera and has four children.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Chakwera fact file: Malawi presidential hopeful. nyasatimes.com, August 11, 2013, accessed June 23, 2020
  2. ↑ Flora Mitumba: Chakwera resigns as Lilongwe North West constituency legislator. faceofmalawi.com, May 5, 2020, accessed June 23, 2020
  3. ↑ Opositionskandidat Chakwera wins presidential election. In: deutschlandfunk.de. June 28, 2020, accessed June 29, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Chakwera, Lazarus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chakwera, Lazarus McCarthy (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Malawian politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 5th 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Lilongwe , Nyasaland