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'Bingu wa Mutharika' (born February 24, 1934) is a Malawi economist, politician, and the current President of Malawi. He took office on May 24, 2004, after winning a disputed presidential election.
Born Brightson Webster Ryson Thom in Thyolo, about 30km from Malawi's commercial capital, Blantyre, he reverted to the family name of Mutharika and adopted the first name of Bingu during the 1960s when pan-Africanism was sweeping across the continent.
He later added the prefix 'wa' between his names to disguise his identity from Hastings Banda's state security, who were hunting down his opponents around the world, even though he was not a political oponent of Dr Banda.
Mutharika was the son of a primary school headmaster. He was educated at the University of Delhi, India, where he gained a master's degree in economics. He later obtained a PhD in development economics from unaccredited Pacific Western University, in Los Angeles, California.
After serving in the Malawi civil service and also for a period in the government of Zambia, Mutharika joined the United Nations in 1978, where he eventually became Director for Trade and Development Finance for Africa. In 1991 he was appointed secretary-general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), a regional body of 20 countries.
One reason for Mutharika's decision to join the UN was his opposition to the regime of Malawi's self-declared "President for Life," Hastings Kamuzu Banda. After Banda was forced to liberalise his regime, Mutharika alleges was one of the founders of the United Democratic Front, the party that won Malawi's first multiparty elections in 1994.
Mutharika was at that time a supporter of the UDF leader, President Bakili Muluzi, but he soon became a critic of Muluzi's economic policies and left the UDF. He formed the United Party (UP) in 1997 and unsuccessfully opposed Muluzi in the 1999 presidential elections, taking less than 1% of the vote.^[1]
Mutharika dissolved the UP and rejoined the UDF after being offered the deputy governorship at Reserve Bank of Malawi. He was appointed Minister of Economic Planning and Development in 2002, and was then nominated by Muluzi as his successor. Mutharika won about 36% of the vote in the presidential election of May 20, 2004, ahead of John Tembo and Gwanda Chakuamba, and took office a few days later.
After taking office, Mutharika came into conflict with Muluzi, head of the UDF, over Mutharika's campaign against corruption. The dispute between them has characterized Mutharika's time in office thus far, and it has been claimed that political conflict is interfering with the country's governance.^[2] On February 5, 2005, Mutharika announced his resignation from the UDF, saying that he had no support in the party because of his stand against corruption.^[3] There had previously been talk of expelling him from the party,^[4] and there had also been an alleged assassination plot against him by party members in early January 2005. Those accused were later pardoned by Mutharika, but he maintained the existence of the plot.^[5] Mutharika subsequently formed his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). In April 2005, Muluzi apologized to the country for choosing Mutharika as his successor "and imposing him on the country".^[6]
Gwanda Chakuamba, who had been made minister of agriculture, was dismissed from the cabinet and subsequently arrested in September 2005 for making a speech predicting that Mutharika would be out of office by Christmas.^[7] In 2006, the vice-president, Cassim Chilumpha, was arrested; he was accused of plotting Mutharika's assassination.^[8]
It was reported in March 2005 that he was not sleeping in the state mansion because of suspicions that it is home to evil spirits. A presidential aide was quoted as saying that Christian clergy had been asked to exorcise the spirits. This was subsequently denied, and journalists responsible for the story, including a BBC reporter, were arrested. Mutharika said that "I have not met any ghosts yet, I have never in my life been afraid of them".^[9]
Mutharika has upheld the memory of Hastings Banda as a national hero; in May 2006, he was present at the unveiling of a mausoleum for Banda that cost US$620,000.^[10]
In October 2006, Mutharika stated his intention to seek re-election in 2009 as the DPP candidate.^[11]
Mutharika's wife, Ethel, with whom he had four children, died on May 28, 2007 after a long battle with cancer which saw her seek treatment in France and South Africa. A month of mourning was declared.^[12] His brother, Peter Mutharika, holds a doctorate from Yale and is a prominent law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

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References

1. Elections in Malawi, African Elections Database.
2. "Political squabbles hamper goverance, says conflict report", IRIN, May 26, 2006.
3. "Mutharika resigns from party, reshuffles cabinet", IRIN, February 7, 2005.
4. "Political infighting could destabilise govt", IRIN, January 31, 2005.
5. "Mutharika frees party leaders involved in "assassination" plot", IRIN, January 7, 2005.
6. "Malawi president 'a bad choice'", BBC News, April 5, 2005.
7. "Sacked Malawi minister detained", BBC.co.uk, September 14, 2005.
8. "Concern over threat of renewed political instability", IRIN, May 2, 2006.
9. "Malawi 'haunted palace' arrests", BBC.co.uk, March 17, 2005.
10. "Mutharika pays Banda a US0,000 tribute", IRIN, May 17, 2006.
11. "Malawian president reveals ambitions for re-election", Xinhua (''People's Daily Online''), October 9, 2006.
12. "Malawi in mourning after first lady's death", Associated Press (''IOL''), May 30, 2007.