Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Malawi Inaugurates New President Who Promises to Develop Country Lameck Masina BLANTYRE, MALAWI - Malawi's new president, Lazarus Chakwera, was inaugurated Monday in the capital, Lilongwe, following his victory in the June 23 election rerun. The inaugural ceremony was initially scheduled to accompany Independence Day celebrations at the 40,000-seat Bingu National Stadium, but Chakwera canceled that event Sunday as a measure to curtail the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The inauguration was rescheduled at Kamuzu Barracks, where only about 100 people attended. The coronavirus causes the COVID-19 disease. In his nationally-broadcast speech, Chakwera announced several measures to develop the country, which he said has endured 26 years of poor administration while his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was in the opposition.