🇲🇼 Malawi
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Peter Mutharika
President · 378 days in office
How the political system works in Malawi
Its president, Peter Mutharika, has led the country since Oct 4, 2025. Malawi has had 6 presidents since 1966. Under the Regimes of the World classification, it counts as an electoral democracy.
Tenure records
Longest-serving
Hastings Banda
10,184 days
Shortest-serving
Joyce Banda
784 days
Average tenure
3,607 days
Peter Mutharika: 90% below average
Female leaders
1 of 6
First: Joyce Banda (2012)
Recent presidents by days in office
Is a leader's tenure getting longer or shorter in Malawi?
Across 6 completed terms, the average president of Malawi has served 3,607 days (about 9.9 years). Terms are getting shorter: the last five completed terms averaged just 2,291 days. The last leader to beat the average was Bakili Muluzi, who left office in 2004.
One completed term Average tenure per decade
All presidents of Malawi
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |  Peter Mutharika | Oct 4, 2025 | Incumbent | 378 |
| 6 |  Lazarus Chakwera | Jun 28, 2020 | Oct 4, 2025 | 1,924 |
| 5 | Peter Mutharika | May 31, 2014 | Jun 28, 2020 | 2,220 |
| 4 |  Joyce Banda | Apr 7, 2012 | May 31, 2014 | 784 |
| 3 |  Bingu wa Mutharika | May 24, 2004 | Apr 5, 2012 | 2,873 |
| 2 |  Bakili Muluzi | May 21, 1994 | May 24, 2004 | 3,656 |
| 1 |  Hastings Banda | Jul 6, 1966 | May 24, 1994 | 10,184 |
Officeholder history via Wikidata. Multiple rows for one person indicate separate terms.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the President of Malawi?
- Peter Mutharika has been President of Malawi since Oct 4, 2025.
- How is the leader of Malawi chosen?
- Its president, Peter Mutharika, has led the country since Oct 4, 2025. Malawi has had 6 presidents since 1966. Under the Regimes of the World classification, it counts as an electoral democracy.
- Who is the longest-serving President of Malawi?
- Hastings Banda, with 10,184 days in office.
- Are leaders serving longer or shorter terms in Malawi?
- Across 6 completed terms, the average president of Malawi has served 3,607 days (about 9.9 years). Terms are getting shorter: the last five completed terms averaged just 2,291 days. The last leader to beat the average was Bakili Muluzi, who left office in 2004.
- Has Malawi ever had a female president?
- Yes. Malawi has had 1 female president. The first was Joyce Banda, who took office in 2012.