Passion or Profession: President

Period: 1934–

A native of the southern district of Thyolo, Mutharika was an economist for the World Bank and the United Nations. A member of the United Democratic Front (UDF), he emerged at the top of the party's struggle to select a presidential candidate when the UDF's Bakili Muluzi stepped down in 2004. Mutharika won the presidency in May 2004 elections. Soon after, he sought to distance himself from Muluzi by levying corruption charges against senior members of his administration. After one year in office, Mutharika broke from the UDF and formed a new party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).