US urges peaceful, lawful process to resolve electoral disputes

The United States of America is urging parties to respect the right to peaceful protest enshrined in the Malawi Constitution.

The US embassy in Lilongwe says on its website posted on July 18 that those parties should however avoid political violence and inflammatory language.

“We encourage Malawians to follow a peaceful and lawful process to resolve electoral disputes, particularly through the Malawi Constitutional Court hearing on petitions challenging the results of the May 21 presidential elections,” says the US in the statement.

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has organised weekly peaceful protests matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays to force Malawi Electoral Commission chair Jane Ansah resign from her position following the disputed May 21 presidential poll.