Malawi’s ex-president Peter Mutharika was re-elected to head the impoverished southern African country with nearly 57 percent of votes, the election authority announced Wednesday, following polls dominated by soaring living costs.

President Lazarus Chakwera came second with 33 percent of ballots in the September 16 vote, the electoral commission said, hours after the incumbent had conceded defeat admitting his rival had an “insurmountable lead”.

Supporters of Mutharika, 85, and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took to the streets in celebration after Chakwera acknowledged in an address to the nation earlier Wednesday that he had lost his bid for a second term.

Mutharika, president between 2014 and 2020, campaigned on pledges of a “return to proven leadership” that criticised Chakw

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