Malawi’s newly inaugurated President Mutharika appoints partial Cabinet

LILONGWE, Malawi

Malawi’s newly inaugurated President Arthur Peter Mutharika has appointed a partial Cabinet, a day after being sworn in and inaugurated as the southeastern African nation’s seventh president.

A statement from his office said the former law professor appointed Enock Chihana of the Alliance for Democracy as the second vice president. Chihana was his electoral alliance partner in the Sept. 16 polls.

The partial Cabinet includes Joseph Mwanamveka, George Chaponda, and Alfred Gangata as ministers of finance, foreign affairs, and state, respectively.

Mutharika has also appointed Lt. Gen. George Jafu as the new chief of the Malawi Defense Force and Richard Luhanga as the new head of the Malawi Police Service.

Mutharika was sworn-in and inaugurated on Saturday following his landslide victory in the elections. He defeated President Lazarus Chakwera, who was seeking re-election for another five-year term.