Malawi : Rerun Presidential Election in July

Malawians will return to the polls in early July for a presidential election rerun ordered by the country's Constitutional Court, which annulled last year's vote results because of irregularities.
"Following the Constitutional Court ruling on February 3, 2020 that nullified the presidential elections and ordered that there should be fresh elections, the Electoral Commission announces that the rerun elections will be held on 2nd July 2020," Electoral Commission Chief Jane Ansah told a news conference.
In a landmark ruling last month, the Constitutional Court overturned the outcome of the 21st May 2019 election, which handed President Peter Mutharika a second term in office. The court said the poll results were fraught with widespread irregularities, in particular, the "massive" use of correction fluid on tally sheets.
It ordered the holding of fresh polls within 150 days, but Mr Mutharika is appealing the court's ruling. The appeal will be heard in the Supreme Court starting April 15. A previous attempt by the president to suspend the court ruling was rejected in February by the top judicial body. It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.
Meanwhile, Malawi’s two largest opposition parties have agreed on an electoral alliance ahead of a fresh presidential vote in July. The United Transformation Movement (UTM), whose candidate came third in last year’s presidential poll, said it will partner with the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), whose candidate narrowly lost to Pres...