VZCZCXRO1108
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLG #0277/01 1421421
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221421Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0511
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1017
RUEHBZ/AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE 0042
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0360
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000277 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR AF WATCHER PETER LORD 
ADDIS ABABA FOR AU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI
SUBJECT: MALAWI ELECTIONS:  MUTHARIKA DECLARED WINNER AND 
INAUGURATED PRESIDENT 
 
REF: A. LILONGWE 266 
     ¶B. LILONGWE 273 
     ¶C. LILONGWE 274 
 
LILONGWE 00000277  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) 
formally declared President Bingu wa Mutharika the victor in 
the country's presidential election in the early morning of 
May 22.  Mutharika was inaugurated for a second term later 
the same day in the presence of regional dignitaries 
including Zambian president Rupia Banda and Zimbabwean 
president Mugabe.  Malawian media and civil society 
organizations recognized Mutharika's clear victory, as did 
former president Muluzi.  MCP candidate John Tembo refused to 
concede defeat and did not attend the inauguration.  At his 
swearing-in, President Mutharika promised not to seek 
retribution against his opponents and pledged continued 
progress on his development agenda.  END SUMMARY 
 
MEC, MESN AND MEDIA DECLARE BINGU WIN 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) In the early hours of May 22, the MEC formally 
declared Bingu wa Mutharika the winner of the 19 May 
presidential election.  MEC Chair Anastasia Msosa announced 
that results from 93 percent of polling stations had been 
tabulated, giving Mutharika over 2.7 million votes to John 
Tembo's 1.3 million.  MEC representatives told US officials 
that the remaining seven percent represented around 600,000 
votes -- not nearly enough for Tembo to overcome Mutharika's 
large lead.  MEC went ahead with their declaration of a 
winner to facilitate the planned inauguration of President 
Mutharika on May 22.  Major independent media outlets had 
reported returns directly from polling stations on May 21 and 
had already congratulated the President on his re-election. 
Most Malawians appeared satisfied both that the election had 
been conducted properly, and that Mutharika had won handily. 
 
¶3. (SBU) As hoped, MEC's numbers tracked very closely with 
the statistical sampling conducted by the Malawi Electoral 
Support Network (MESN) with the support of the National 
Democratic Institute.  President Mutharika took approximately 
66 percent of the vote to Tembo's 30 percent, with minor 
candidates making up the difference.  (MESN released its 
findings to the public early May 22.)  Independent candidate 
James Nyondo, the subject of much controversy in the final 
month of the election, received less than 1 percent of the 
vote.  The MEC hopes to finalize presidential results 
sometime next week.  Figures so far suggest a turnout of 
about 68 percent, higher than in Malawi's last national 
election in 2004. 
 
DPP WINS STRONG MAJORITY IN PARLIAMENT 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The MEC expects to finalize parliamentary election 
results late May 22.  Early results show that Mutharika's 
party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is likely to 
attain a two-thirds majority.  Both the MCP and UDF suffered 
considerable parliamentary losses and will no longer be able 
to block legislation, even acting as a bloc.  "Independents" 
appear to have won nearly 30 of Parliament's 193 seats, but 
many of these legislators are DPP members who rejected the 
results of suspect primary elections and ran in the general 
election.  They will further augment the ruling party's 
caucus, if Mutharika allows them to return to the fold. 
 
MULUZI MAKES PEACE AT INAUGURATION 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) President Mutharika was inaugurated for a second 
term at 11 am May 22 at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. Tens of 
thousands of supporters attended, along with former president 
Bakili Muluzi and representatives of Malawi's major 
institutions.  Muluzi greeted and embraced Mutharika on 
national television in an important gesture of reconciliation 
and was accorded the rightful place of a former president at 
the ceremony.  MCP candidate John Tembo, for his part, had 
not yet conceded defeat and did not attend the inauguration. 
Media editorials castigated Tembo for refusing to admit 
defeat and move forward.  Visiting dignitaries included 
Zimbabwean President Mugabe and Zambian President Rupia 
 
LILONGWE 00000277  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Banda, as well as other vice-presidents or foreign ministers 
from Rwanda, Swaziland, Namibia, Tanzania, Mauritius, and 
Mozambique.  Amb. Bodde and other heads of diplomatic 
missions were also present. 
 
¶6. (U) After taking the oath of office, Mutharika expressed 
his commitment to national unity and his desire for an end to 
the contentious politics of recent years.  He acknowledged 
Muluzi's presence and promised no retribution against those 
who had not supported him.  The president also pledged to 
continue the development agenda he began in his first term, 
giving special mention to rural electrification and other 
improvements in infrastructure.  Mutharika reiterated his 
commitment to the fertilizer subsidy program, and to 
developing a "green belt" of irrigation along Malawi's major 
waterways.  He also took time to thank donors individually 
for their support of Malawi's 2009 electoral process. 
BODDE