The presidential polls in Malawi will now be conducted on June 23, a week earlier than initially ordered by the constitutional court, which revoked President Peter Mutharika’s election victory last year due to irregularities, reported Reuters.
The country’s electoral commission had initially set July 2 as the election date but later brought the date forward to June 23.
In the May 2019 general elections, President Mutharika won a second term, but with just 38.5% of the vote. The country’s Constitutional Court overturned the election result, citing grave and widespread irregularities, including the use of correction fluid on ballot papers. The court ordered that fresh election be held within 150 days of its February 3 ruling.
Malawi’s parliament was to legally validate the new polling date. But opposition members of Parliament passed a resolution on Tuesday setting the June 23 as the new election date. The government had hoped for a vote through Constitutional amendments to delay the setting of the new date.
“Parliament was required to gazette the legislation,” said Yeremiah Chihana, the lawmaker who moved the motion in the parliament.
He said the court ruling clearly states that parliament must set a date for the elections. He said there was adequate time to prepare for the polling as it is merely a rerun and not a fresh election.
The president will pit against the main opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera who challenged his victory. Chakwera came a close second to Mutharika with 35% of the ballots cast in the last polling.
Meantime, a new electoral commission was sworn-in on Tuesday to organise the new vote, after the top Malawi court also ordered an investigation into the conduct of Jane Ansah, head of the last commission, who resigned last month.
It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1964.
