MEC publishes 3 names of presidential candidates  in Malawi fresh vote: Chakwera, Mutharika and Kuwani

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it has concluded verifying and validating names of the candidates to contest in the forthcoming fresh  presidential election and it will be a race for three.

The fresh poll has been necessitated following the nullification of the May 21 2019 election by the Constitutional Court on February 3 2020 and upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeal on May 8 2020.

And in a notice dated May 13 2020, MEC says it has verified and accepted names of three candidates who will battle it out in the poll, which is expected to be highly competitive.

The three candidates are Dr Lazarus Chakwera who will be running on the ticket of  Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Mbakuwaku Movement for Development (MMD)’s Peter Dominico Sinosi Driver Kuwani and Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika of the DPP-UDF Alliance.

“Take notice that the Electoral Commission, having received nomination of candidates for election to the office of President, hereby declare that the following [Dr Lazarus Chakwera, Peter Dominico Sinosi Driver Kuwani and Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika] have been validly nominated for election to the office of the President of the Republic of Malawi. The names of the candidates are in alphabetical order of the surnames,” reads a brief notice from MEC.

The candidates’ running mates have also been confirmed.

Chakwera’s running mate is Saulos Chilima , who is UTM Party president and  the country’s estranged Vice-President.

Mutharika’s running mate is Atupele Austin Muluzi, president of United Democratic Front (UDF).

While Kuwani, who is not a strong competitior, will have Mc Lenard Archbbold Lakawang’omaas his running mate.

The fresh presidential election follows an initial order by a five-judge panel of the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court that on February 3 nullified the May 21 2019 presidential election over alleged irregularities, especially in the results management system. The court ordered a fresh election to be held within 150 days.

The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal on May 8 upheld the Constitutional Court ruling, including faulting MEC’s competence in managing elections and the definition of “majority” to mean 50-percent-plus-one vote in the presidential election instead of the previous first-past-the-post.

The fresh vote is scheduled to take place on July 2 2020, barely a day to the expiry of the Constitutional Court order to have the vote within 150 days.

But MEC suggested the date could be moved to June 23  by parliament to comply with the law.