By Chisomo Phiri
Former President Peter Mutharika says he cannot now tell as to when he is going to retire from politics.
Mutharika said this in his press brief held on Friday November 11,2022 at his PAGE House in Mangochi.
According to Mutharika, he has been in politics for 69 years.
“I will do that when I retire,” said 82 years old Mutharika, when responding to a question on when he is going to retire.
Mutharika who is the current Democratic Progressive Party ( DPP) President was in May 2009, elected to the Malawian Parliament, and he was subsequently appointed by his brother Bingu wa Mutharika to the Malawi Cabinet as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
He then became Minister of Education, Science and Technology and as of 8 September 2011 he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new “war cabinet”.
Mutharika was elected as President of Malawi in the 2014 election.
He was sworn in as President on May 31, 2014, naming his cabinet in June 2014, in which he took charge of the defense portfolio himself.
He appointed the veteran economist Goodall Gondwe as Minister of Finance and appointed one of the defeated presidential candidates, Atupele Muluzi, as Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining.
His first term was marked by strong popular discontent, due to corruption, food shortages and power cuts.
In 2018, thousands of people took to the streets in several cities across the country to denounce corruption scandals.
For a time now, there have been calls within the DPP party members for Mutharika to quit politics and leave the party to the young and energetic leaders.
