Lazarus Chakwera sworn in as Malawi president after historic win

The new President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera said his win in the rerun election was a "victory for democracy and justice".

He defeated incumbent Peter Mutharika with 58.57% of votes in Tuesday's poll.

"I do feel like Lazarus, I've come back from the dead," Mr Chakwera said, referring to the biblical character of the same name.

In February, Malawi's constitutional court annulled Mr Mutharika's poll win in May 2019, citing vote tampering.

The country was bitterly divided in the run-up to this week's election. But Mr Chakwera said those who did not support him had nothing to fear.

"There's no cause for fear because I will be your president and my policy for inclusivity means we are building a new Malawi for all of us," Mr Chakwera told the BBC Newshour programme.

"I'm not a president of a faction, I'm a president of everyone in the country," he added.

Mr Chakwera dismissed allegations by Mr Mutharika that the poll was marred by violence and irregularities, saying his predecessor was "misled by rumours".

However, he said he would not stand in the way of Mr Mutharika should he want to challenge the election.

BBC News

Coronavirus: Number of Covid-19 infections tops 10m worldwide

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has passed the milestone of 10 million, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

The virus emerged in China late last year and spread across the globe. It has led to almost 500,000 deaths.

Half the world's cases have been in the US and Europe, but Covid-19 is now rapidly growing in the Americas.

The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it is not expected to peak until the end of July.

Outbreaks are still spreading in many parts of the world, with one million new cases recorded in the last six days.

BBC News