Bingu wa Mutharika is a Malawi

Malawi

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...

 economist who is President of Malawi. He took office on 24 May 2004 after winning a disputed presidential election

Malawi general election, 2004

General elections was held in Malawi on 20 May 2004 to elect a President and the National Assembly. The election had originally been scheduled for 18 May but was postponed for two days in response to opposition complaints of irregularities in the voter roll. By 22 May no results had been announced,...

. With the support of President Bakili Muluzi

Bakili Muluzi

Elson Bakili Muluzi is a Malawian politician. He was the President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004 and was Chairman of the United Democratic Front until 2009.-Presidency:...

, Mutharika won the 2004 election as the candidate of the United Democratic Front

United Democratic Front (Malawi)

The United Democratic Front claims to be a liberal party in Malawi and is mainly strong in the southern region populated by ethnic Yao. Until 2009 the party was a member of Liberal International, which it joined at the latter's Reykjavík Congress in 1994...

 (UDF); he broke with the UDF (which remained under Muluzi's control) in February 2005, however, due to disagreements over his anti-corruption campaign. He then formed a new party, the Democratic Progressive Party

Democratic Progressive Party (Malawi)

The Democratic Progressive Party is the ruling political party in Malawi. The party was formed in February 2005 by Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika after a dispute with the United Democratic Front....

 (DPP), but lacked a parliamentary majority for the rest of his first term.