Police in Malawi have apprehended eight individuals on suspicion of electoral fraud as the nation eagerly awaits the conclusive results of Tuesday’s general election. Inspector General Merlyne Yolamu confirmed that the suspects, who were serving as data entry clerks, were allegedly involved in attempts to manipulate the vote tallies.
This development brings back memories of the contentious 2019 election, which saw the country’s highest court annul the victory of then-President Peter Mutharika due to widespread irregularities. Consequently, the Malawi Electoral Commission is maintaining a heightened state of vigilance to prevent any further electoral malpractice.
Preliminary tallies currently indicate that Peter Mutharika is leading the presidential race, with incumbent Lazarus Chakwera following in second place. The commission is expected to release more results from Malawi’s 36 districts on Saturday. To win outright, a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote; otherwise, a run-off election will be held.
Meanwhile, Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party has filed a complaint with the electoral commission, citing discovered irregularities in the vote count, though officials have not provided specific details regarding these claims. The commission aims to finalize and verify all votes before announcing the official outcome to mitigate the risk of the result being challenged.
Under Malawian law, the electoral commission has until the end of Wednesday to declare the final results. The annulment of Mutharika’s 2019 victory was notably due to evidence of widespread tampering, including the use of correction fluid on result sheets.