(MENAFN) Malawi’s head of state, Lazarus Chakwera, has acknowledged defeat after failing in his attempt to secure a second term, in a vote where the southern African nation’s financial difficulties were the main concern of the electorate.

According to the electoral commission’s announcement late on Wednesday, Chakwera obtained 33% of the ballots in the September 16 contest, while his challenger, former president Arthur Peter Mutharika, garnered 56.8%, making him the president-elect. To secure an outright victory, a contender needed more than 50% of the votes.

Last Friday, police authorities in Malawi reported the detention of eight data entry clerks at a results collation center in the capital, Lilongwe, for allegedly altering vote figures.

Before the final results were officially declared, Chakwera addressed the nation, confirming he had accepted the verdict and had already contacted his rival, Mutharika, to “congratulate him on his historic victory.”

“This outcome is a reflection of your collective will to have a change of government, and so it is only right that I concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens and out of respect for the constitution,” he declared.

Chakwera first assumed the presidency in 2020 after defeating Mutharika in a rerun of the disputed 2019 election.

Initially, Mutharika had been proclaimed the winner, but the Constitutional Court nullified those results due to irregularities, such as falsified tally sheets, and mandated a fresh vote.

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