Atupele Muluzi (born 6 August 1978) is a

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

an politician, businessman and was a Member of Parliament for Machinga North East constituency from 2004 until May 27, 2019. He is also the President of the United Democratic Front and was a presidential candidate during the 2019 election. He was a running mate in the 2020 presidential elections, on a coalition ticket with incumbent President

Peter Mutharika Arthur Peter Mutharika (born 18 July 1940) is a Malawi, Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic la ...

of the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...

. Muluzi was Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining from 2014 to 2015 and the only opposition member to serve in the Mutharika administration. Subsequently, he served as Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security in 2015, and then Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2015. He is the son of the former president

Bakili Muluzi Elson Bakili Muluzi (born 17 March 1943) is a Malawian politician who was President of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. He was also chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) until 2009. He succeeded Hastings Kamuzu Banda as Malawi's president. He al ...

Early life

Muluzi was born in 1978 at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe to

and Annie Chidzira Muluzi. He attended Eastridge (in Harare, Zimbabwe),

Saint Andrews International High School The St. Andrew's International School in Blantyre, Malawi was founded there in 1938 under British rule by the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland Mission. The high school in its present form was established in 1958. SAIntS is a British Internatio ...

Blantyre Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is ...

and

Bentham Grammar School Bentham Grammar School was an independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent up ...

in Yorkshire, England, where he became its head boy. He studied Economics and Law at the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

, and at the University of Law in London, United Kingdom.

Political career

He was first elected to parliament in 2004 and continued to represent the Machinga North East constituency until May 27, 2019, when he lost elections as MP and presidential candidate. He campaigned on a new beginning. A fierce critic of President

Bingu wa Mutharika Bingu wa Mutharika (; born Brightson Webster Ryson Thom; 24 February 1934 – 5 April 2012) was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democ ...

, he was arrested on 20 February 2012 on his way to a political rally where he was expected to address supporters. He was stopped by the police at a road block, where he was questioned and told that he did not have proper permits to hold a public meeting. However permission had been granted prior to the meeting.Malawi: Ex-President's Son Arrested After Unrest
allAfrica.com (20 March 2012). Muluzi was later arrested for inciting violence and charged for disobeying notification of a district commissioner. The police attacked the crowds, throwing teargas at them to disperse the rally. This incited the crowd to protest against the police and burn down a police station and surrounding police cars. Less than two weeks after Muluzi's release, President Mutharika died. President

Joyce Banda Joyce Hilda Banda (née Ntila; born 12 April 1950) is a Malawi, Malawian politician, who served as List of heads of state of Malawi, President of Malawi, from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden deat ...

took over the reins of power and appointed Muluzi as Minister of Economic Planning and Development in her administration. He resigned after some senior members of the ruling party verbally attacked him at a political rally due to his position as the leader of an opposition party. After resigning, he began to focus on his career as the leader of his party. In June 2014, Muluzi was appointed by President

as Minister of Natural Resources, Energy, and Mining. He was moved to the post of Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security on 10 April 2015. He was again moved, this time to the post of Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, in August 2015. After a court decision overturned the 2019 presidential election in Malawi, Muluzi formed a coalition with President Mutharika to be his running mate in the 2020 presidential elections.

Personal life

He is the son of

, Malawi's second President, and Annie Chidzira Muluzi, Malawi's former first lady. In November 2013, he married Angela Zachepa and they have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muluzi, Atupele 1978 births Living people Malawian Muslims Alumni of the University of Leicester Government ministers of Malawi Members of the National Assembly (Malawi) United Democratic Front (Malawi) politicians Alumni of Saint Andrews International High School People from Lilongwe Children of presidents