The presidential elections in Malawi, which had to be redone by order of the judge, produced another winner. Opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera was able to defeat incumbent President Peter Mutharika. Observers speak of a historical event.
The elections in May last year were narrowly won by President Mutharika, sparking months and sometimes violent protests. Oppositionists demanded that the ballot box be redone because of alleged fraud.
In February, the Constitutional Court in Malawi indeed declared the result invalid. According to the court, numerous irregularities had been discovered. For example, Tipp-Ex was used to falsify votes.
Broad majority
The new election edition was held last Tuesday. Opposition leader Chakwera got more than 58 percent of the votes, says the election committee. The turnout was 64 percent.
In a response, Chakwera speaks of a victory for democracy. His supporters took to the streets in the capital Lilongwe.
Rare
Irregularities in elections in African countries have been reported more frequently. However, the result is rarely canceled.
The only time that happened in Africa before was in Kenya in 2017. The presidential elections were then repeated, but the results did not change: the re-election of President Kenyatta was maintained.
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