This year’s Chatham House Prize, awarded by the London-based policy institute, goes to the constitutional court judges of Malawi who overturned the 2019 re-election of former president Peter Mutharika and called for new elections that put President Lazarus Chakwera in office instead. The honor is awarded to those who made…
New President Lazarus Chakwera was sworn into office in Malawi on Sunday in a ceremony in Lilongwe. Chakwera, head of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and a coalition of political parties united under the Tonse Alliance, won last week’s election alongside vice president Saulos Chilima, a United Transformation Movement (UTM)…
Election officials in Malawi began counting the votes on Wednesday following a presidential election do-over mandated by the country’s top court, but they’re still gathering data from around the country and no official results have been released. That said, local media reports suggest opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi…
Malawi’s top court has thrown out the results of a May 2019 presidential election, one that saw President Peter Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party gain a disputed second term that was challenged immediately by the political opposition. The five judges have ordered a new election to be held within…
Protesters took to the streets of Lilongwe again Friday for the fourth consecutive day, as the political opposition continues to demand the resignation of Jane Anseh, Malawi’s electoral commission chief, and opposition parties begin preparing supporters for a final court decision on the disputed May presidential election. The May 21…
In Malawi, plans for a meeting between security officials and opposition leaders with the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) were disrupted Friday by yet another firebomb threat outside the Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe. Witnesses say an unidentified suspect was seen running toward an HRDC vehicle with the firebomb before escaping….
In Malawi, a second firebomb has been launched at the property of Timothy Mtambo, the leader of a human rights organization that has organized protests against the outcome of the disputed May presidential election and Malawi’s electoral commission. Mtambo, who heads up the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), said this…
The opposition in Malawi says there are more than 600 witnesses who may testify in the case challenging the results of the May 2019 presidential election, one that saw President Peter Mutharika gain a disputed second term. The country’s highest court began the hearings Thursday with testimony from Saulos Chilima,…
The United States Embassy in Lilongwe has issued a travel ban and security warning for staff, ahead of planned protests Friday in the wake of the disputed Malawi presidential election. “Though organizers consistently have called for peaceful protest, looting and violence have occurred during recent demonstrations throughout Malawi’s major cities,”…
President Peter Mutharika of Malawi will serve another term, following Monday’s announcement from the Malawi Electoral Commission that he won the election with 38.6 percent of the vote. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate received 1,940,709 votes, while his nearest competitor – Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP)…
Incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continues to hold a significant lead as the Malawi Electoral Commission tallies the votes from Tuesday’s elections. Mutharika has received 40.5 percent of the vote for president with 1,436,877 votes so far. His nearest competitor, Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi…
Officials in Malawi say no results of Tuesday’s elections will be released until after 10 p.m. local time at the earliest, because at least one polling station had a delayed opening and it won’t close until late. The Malawi Electoral Commission issued a statement explaining the delay, and urged all…
Two members of the European Union’s election observation mission in Malawi became crime victims early Sunday after a robbery where the team was staying. The EU observers, in Malawi ahead of the country’s May 21 presidential election, said the incident happened overnight in Chikwawa, about 50 kilometers southwest of Blantyre….
It may seem a minor offense at the moment, but in the run-up to Malawi’s May 21 presidential election, officials in Karonga in the country’s north are urging calm after someone tore down a campaign billboard promoting United Transformation Movement (UTM) party candidate Saulos Chilima. The giant billboard was placed prominently…
Former president of Malawi Joyce Banda has withdrawn as a People’s Party presidential candidate ahead of the May 2019 elections, and announced she is endorsing the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate in the race. Banda’s decision to back Lazarus Chakwera, above, was made public Thursday in a joint statement of…