Former President Peter Mutharika has dismissed assertions that he is responsible for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) loss in the 2020 presidential elections.
Speaking at the DPP fundraising dinner in Blantyre on Saturday night, Mutharika criticized those who blame him for the party’s defeat, stating that “such people are stupid because they do not know what I went through before I became president in 2014.”
“You have no idea what you are talking about. So, stop blaming me for the loss in the 2020 elections, especially you the young people,” said a highly charged Mutharika.
He defended his record in the 2020 elections, stating, “I got about 40 percent of votes in 2020, which is more than the percentages in 2019 and 2014 elections.” Mutharika argued that after the 2019 elections, he had no idea that there would be another election within a year, and that the party was not adequately prepared for the 2020 elections.
Mutharika blamed Vice President Saulos Chilima, who had 20 percent of the votes in 2019, for joining forces with President Lazarus Chakwera, who had 35 percent of the votes, for the DPP’s defeat. He claimed, “this gave them 55 percent in 2020 elections. There is no way we could win with a coalition that was put together.”
Mutharika also spoke about the DPP’s plans for the future, stating, “if you elect a person who has no substance, forget about returning to power. People in Malawi are no longer stupid.” He criticized the Chakwera administration for failing to fulfill its promises and for mismanaging the country’s economy.
Mutharika offered the services of DPP economic experts to the Chakwera administration to help resolve the economic challenges, but the government refused. He described the Chakwera administration as “clueless” and “incompetent,” stating, “they see nothing, hear nothing, know nothing, and do nothing.”
