President of Malawi
The president of the Republic of Malawi is the head of state and head of government of Malawi. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of Malawi and is the commander-in-chief of the Malawian Defence Force.
The current president is Lazarus Chakwera, who defeated Peter Mutharika in the 2020 rerun presidential election. Chakwera was sworn in as president of Malawi on 28 June.Previous presidents
On 6 July 1964, Nyasaland became independent from British rule and renamed itself Malawi, with Elizabeth II as Queen of Malawi. Under a new constitution in 1966, Malawi became a republic with prime minister Hastings Banda becoming its first president. Under the country's 1966, 1994 and 1995 constitutions, the president is executive head of state. The first president was elected by the National Assembly, but later presidents were elected in direct popular elections for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the vice-president becomes president.Latest election
