27 Facts About Lazarus Chakwera

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera was born on 8 August 1953 and is a Malawian theologian and politician who has served as President of Malawi since June 2020.

Lazarus Chakwera serves as Minister of Defence per Malawian constitution, he has served as the leader of the Malawi Congress Party since 2013.

Lazarus Chakwera was President of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013.

Previously, Chakwera was the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly following highly controversial elections held on 21 May 2019 which were overturned by the Constitutional Court.

Lazarus Chakwera was born in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, on 5 April 1955 while the country was still under British colonial rule.

Lazarus Chakwera's father was a primary school teacher and supplemented his family's income through subsistence farming.

Lazarus Chakwera married Monica Chakwera on October 8,1977, and together, they have four children.

Lazarus Chakwera graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Malawi in 1977.

Lazarus Chakwera studied theology and gained an Honours degree from the University of the North in South Africa and gained a master's degree from the University of South Africa in 1991.

Lazarus Chakwera became a professor at the Pan-Africa Theological Seminary in 2005.

Lazarus Chakwera worked as an instructor at the Assemblies of God's School of Theology from 1983 to 2000 where he became the Principal in 1996.

Lazarus Chakwera has been the co-director and a lecturer at All Nations Theological Seminary.

Lazarus Chakwera later submitted his nomination papers while still at the helm of the Malawi Assemblies of God.

Lazarus Chakwera told all Malawians to remain peaceful, accept the outcome, and wait for the next coming elections.

Lazarus Chakwera announced his resignation as the Head of the Malawian Assemblies of God, effective 14 May 2013.

Lazarus Chakwera said this would enable him to concentrate more on front-line politics, taking the view that he was still serving God in another context.

Lazarus Chakwera joined forces with UTM leader Saulos Chilima and multiple other parties to form the 'Tonse Alliance' in preparation for the June 2020 Malawi General elections, with Chilima running as vice president.

Mo Sidik Mia, Lazarus Chakwera's running mate in 2019, was appointed Minister of Transport and Public Works and his wife Abida Mia the Deputy Minister for Lands.

Lazarus Chakwera defended his decisions, saying that he will address concerns related to the appointments.

The activists accused President Lazarus Chakwera of disregarding the Malawi Gender Equality Act that demands that women should make at least 40 per cent of all public appointments.

Lazarus Chakwera has said that he was working to trim executive powers to make Presidents more accountable to people and increase powers of other branches of the government.

Lazarus Chakwera was elected by member states of SADC as the Chairperson of the group.

Lazarus Chakwera is currently the chairman of the SADC which he assumed from his predecessor, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in August 2021.

Lazarus Chakwera has faced criticism for appointing his daughter and vice president Saulos Chilima's mother-in-law to diplomatic positions.

In interview with Zodiak Broadcasting Station, a local radio station, Lazarus Chakwera remarked that it will be up to the people to re-elect him in 2025 when Malawi holds the next presidential elections.

Similarly, other senior members of his Malawi Congress Party have indicated that Lazarus Chakwera will stand in 2025 because he is allowed to do so by his party's constitution.

Lazarus Chakwera has not directly declared his interest to stand for a second term.