Mia says Chakwera is people’s president: ‘Rigging agents were armed with Tippex to rob MCP victory’

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) first vice president Sidik Mia has said the  party’s president and presidential candidate in the  May 21 Tripartite Elections, Lazarus Chakwera, is the people’s president because he was “robbed” of victory  by suspected agents of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the results management “armed with Tippex” and distorted results in DPP’s favour.

Mia said this in Chikwawa on Thursday when he addressed supporters of MCP.

MCP, which alongside UTM Party led by the country’s immediate past vice-president Saulos Chilima, is challenging results of the presidential election in which President Peter Mutharika of DPP was declared the winner followed by Chakwera and Chilima in second and third place, respectively.

Mia said there were several rigging acts that allegedly distorted the results in favour of DPP “against the votes and will of the people of Malawi”.

He said: “ We have taken the matter to court, Meanwhile, we will continue to protest peacefully.”

Mia said the oppositions has “overwhelming evidence” that Mutharika “won a fraudulent election” fraught with irregularities, including alleged stuffing of ballot papers with pre-marked ballots, tampering with election results sheets through correction fluid (Tippex) and being found in possession of  result sheets at home.

“We will fight on,” he declared.

Mia said Chakwera is the “people’s president” because the will of the people was robbed as  the DPP agents altered results with correction fluid.

Elsewhere, in the central region the stronghold of MCP, party supporters are holding street protests.

“We will not fear the police, we will not be stopped until Mutharika steps down because he stole this election,” MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said.

A spokesman for DPP Nicholos Dausi accused the MCP of creating unrest to make it difficult for Mutharika to govern.

“We won the election clean and fair and …the opposition should accept defeat and agree to work together (with us) to correct Malawi’s many ills,” Dausi said.

Mutharika, 78, a former law professor, who presided over improvements to infrastructure and a slowdown in inflation during his first five-year term, has since warned MCP of acts of violence and blood shed.