International
Malawi court decides Peter Mutharika fate today
Malawi’s constitutional court is to rule Monday on whether to annul a controversial vote result that got President Peter Mutharika re-elected, with the verdict likely to stoke turmoil no matter which way it goes.
The case has gripped the southern African nation and kept Malawians glued to radio stations for hours on end listening to live broadcasts of witnesses presenting evidence of alleged vote-rigging.
Sporadic protests have broken out across the country since Mutharika was declared the winner by a narrow margin in May presidential elections with 38.5 percent of the vote. Runner-up Lazarus Chakwera, who lost by just 159,000 votes, alleges he was robbed of victory.
His Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the opposition United Transformation Movement (UTM) have petitioned the courts to annul the poll.
Read Also: Supreme Court’s ruling on Imo momentary setback’
It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1964.
Protesters have been demanding the resignation of the electoral commission chief, and many demonstrations have turned violent.
“There will be winners and losers and we are not sure how the losers will react,” said Malawian politics professor Michael Jana.
A number of schools and companies have closed for the week, fearing violence could erupt after the ruling is announced
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611
