Malawi president inaugurated, opposition announces protests

After his swearing-in earlier this week, Malawi president Peter Mutharika was officially inaugurated today at the same venue where he was sworn in, the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.

A High Court lifted an injunction of the announcement of results on Monday, allowing the elections body to finalize the collation of results from the May 21 presidential polls.

Mutharika leading the ruling Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) polled 1,940,709 (38.57%). The main opposition Malawi Congress Party, MCP, led by Lazarus Chakwera (MCP):1,781,740 (35.41%).

Mutharika’s immediate past veep Saulos Chilima came in third with a with 1,107,369 (20.24%). Malawi’s laws allows for the president to be sworn-in immediately after results are declared.

The first-past the post system is employed eliminating the need for the president to get over 50% of votes to be elected. It is usually the case in most Anglophone countries across Africa.

President Prof. APMutharika Tuesday took his oath of office for the second and last term after his re-election in the May 21 Tripartite Elections MwNewsAgency pic.twitter.com/MsZyH5lf8A— Malawi Government (@MalawiGovt) May 28, 2019

Whiles the president’s inauguration was ongoing, the main opposition MCP’s leader addressed a press conference that rejected the results of the polls citing electoral fraud.

“MEC’s decision to declare Mutharika as winner goes against the will of the people of Malawi. I reject these results,” Chakwera said accusing the elections body of complicity to rig the last polls.

Whiles confirming that an action has been instituted in the courts to nullify the results, Chakwera reiterated the party’s resolve to legally retrieve its mandate from the DPP which he described as a “mafia state.”

Meanwhile, the Nation newspaper reports that the MCP’s Director for Youth, Richard Chimwendo, says the party’s supporters will now take to the streets to demonstrate against what the party says is electoral fraud.