Mutharika insists on ‘clean’ win, says Malawi fresh elections ‘not the will of the people’

With  the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal set to deliver its judgement  on Friday on an appeal of the Constitutional Court judgement filed by President Peter Mutharika and Malawi Electoral Commisison (MEC), Mutharika has insisted that he won the  nullified 2019 elections clean and that the fresh elections “is not the will of the people.”

Mutharika in his address as he presented his nomination papers to the MEC  for the July 2 presidential election.

He said Malawians voted last year in an election that was free, fair, peaceful and credible.

It was an election where people expressed their will, stressed the Malawi leader.

“I won that election. We won that election,” he said.

He added: “Only one year later, we are going to another election. This election is not the will of the people.”

A five-judge panel of the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court on February 3 nullified last year’s presidential election over alleged irregularities, especially in the results management system, as prayed by the country’s estranged Vice-President Saulos Chilima of UTM Party and  Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP). The court ordered a fresh election in 150 days, which expires on July 3.

Meanwhile, the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal  ill this Friday deliver its judgement on an appeal of the Constitutional Court judgement filed by MEC and Mutharika.

If the seven-judge Supreme Court panel upholds the judgement, the election will proceed. However, if it overturns the same, the vote will not take place.