Malawi’s President, Peter Mutharika has refused to concede defeat in the re-run presidential election.
His opponent, Lazarus Chakwera who led an opposition alliance into the election is reportedly leading significantly in the polls, according to collated results.
The electoral commission is yet to declare the results but Lazarus Chakwera has what appears to be an unassailable lead.
According to a tally by state broadcaster MBC, the opposition candidate has 60% of the votes so far.
Results from all 28 districts show that President Mutharika is significantly behind Lazarus Chakwera.
Mr Mutharika’s running mate, Atupele Muluzi, told the media on Friday that the president is appealing to all his supporters to disregard reports that say he has lost the elections.
Mutharika says citizens should wait for the official announcement.
Electoral commission told journalists it will take up to two days to announce the results.
“We are trying to be as thorough as possible. We expect to have the final results in 36 to 48 hours,” electoral commission chairman Chifundo Kachali told journalists late on Thursday.
Peter Mutharika re-election last year was annulled by the court. A re-run was ordered by the court.
In a statement Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance said “With all votes … tallied, it is now clear that Malawians have resoundingly given (the opposition)…alliance the mandate to govern this country for the next five years.”
“Malawians have at last reclaimed their destiny.”
An election observation consortium monitoring the poll said the process was impressive amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: Africafeeds.com
