Malawi: Top court nullifies 2019 presidential elections

By Moses Michael-Phiri

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - Fresh presidential elections have been called in the East African country of Malawi after a court ruled on Monday that last May’s poll was marred with irregularities.

“The presidential results announced on May 27, 2019 are null and void, fresh elections should be held within 150 days,” announced Judge Healey Potani, chair of the five-judge panel hearing the case.

The judge said the evidence before the court was clear that the electoral management body failed to follow legal requirements.

The court also directed Parliament to review the current electoral commission to see if it is competent enough to hold the fresh polls.

The nullification of the election follows complaints by opposition leaders Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Saulos Chilima of the UTM Party that the polls were rigged.

Chakwera alleges he was robbed of victory in the ballot, which he lost by just 159,000 votes.

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declared incumbent President Peter Mutharika, 79, winner of the election with 38.5% of the vote.

Thousands of Malawians, who keenly followed the case on radio, cheered and poured onto the streets to celebrate the opposition victory.

“I am happy that democracy has won. My client petitioned the court to get justice and today, justice has been served,” Chakwera’s lead lawyer Mordecai Msisha told journalists outside the court.

Kalekeni Kaphale, attorney general and lead lawyer representing Mutharika and the MEC, said they will meet their clients to chart the way forward.

“The court has said the ruling is appealable,” he told privately owned radio Zodiak.

The ruling, the first of its kind in Malawi’s history, brings an end to a political impasse which has led to series of post-election demonstrations since the announcement of the May 21 vote results. The protests on many occasions turned violent with looting, damage to property, and injuries.

The nationwide demonstrations also aimed to force the resignation of Jane Ansah, the electoral commission chair, for allegedly presiding over a flawed electoral process fraught with irregularities.

A total of 6.8 million voters were registered to elect a president, 600 local government representatives, and 193 members of Parliament in last May’s elections.