Malawi polls: Thousands protest against opposition's lead in presidential race
Thousands of supporters of Malawi’s incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera took to the streets of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, protesting early poll results, which put former President Arthur Peter Mutharika in the lead of last Tuesday’s general elections.
Supporters of Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) clad in party colors stormed the streets of the capital city on Monday, protesting against the results, while denouncing Annabel Mtalimanja, head of the Malawi Electoral Commission, Anadolu Agency reported.
Several streets in the city were blocked by the irate supporters who vowed to continue protesting “until justice is done.”
The electoral body is set to announce the poll results not later than Wednesday as dictated by the country’s constitution, as pressure continues to mount for the release of the poll results.
‘Massive irregularities’
Lately, some senior officials of the party have been rallying their supporters to reject the poll results, claiming the poll was fraudulent.
Jessie Kabwila, the public secretary of the MCP, told the media recently that her party was not ready to accept the poll results because of the “massive irregularities.”
“We are not ready and willing to give up in our fight to demand justice about the poll results. We want to see to it that the winner should be declared on merit,” said Kabwila.
On Tuesday, 7 million eligible Malawians went to the polls to elect a new president, members of parliament, and councilors to govern the country in the next five years.
Appeal for calm
Chakwera, who is seeking re-election, and former President Arthur Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party were front-runners in the hotly contested poll.
The electoral body chairperson has appealed for calm and warned party supporters against inciting violence and “exerting undue pressure.”
Four of the 17 presidential hopefuls have already conceded defeat as partial results continue to trickle in.
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