New date announced for Malawi election

Malawi’s electoral commission has announced that a new presidential election will be held on 2nd July, following the annulment of last year’s vote by the constitutional court. 

The previous election of May 2019 - which saw incumbent Peter Mutharika retain the presidency - was declared invalid after the runners-up complained of widespread irregularities, including the use of ‘Tipp-Ex’ on tally sheets. 

In February the court declared that a new poll must be held within 150 days, a decision which Mr Mutharika is appealing. 

The decision to overturn the election result constituted a landmark ruling in Malawi as the first time a presidential election had been challenged on legal grounds since the country declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. It is only the second election result to be cancelled in Africa after Kenya’s 2017 presidential vote. 

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