Keypoints
- Eight clerks arrested for alleged vote manipulation
- Chakwera and Mutharika each claim victory
- Electoral body vows careful verification
POLICE in Malawi have arrested eight election data clerks accused of manipulating vote tallies in this week’s general elections, raising fresh tension in a nation still haunted by the annulled 2019 presidential poll.
National police spokesman Peter Kalaya said the clerks were detained in and around the capital, Lilongwe, on suspicion of ‘manipulating data’. He added that an investigation was also under way into an alleged attempted suicide by a returning officer who reportedly claimed to have been offered bribes to alter results.
Rival claims of victory
President Lazarus Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led by former president Peter Mutharika, have both declared they are on course to win the presidency.
MCP running mate Vitumbiko Mumba told reporters on Friday that the party had uncovered ‘serious anomalies’ in vote counts across nearly half of Malawi’s districts. ‘The MCP has lodged a formal complaint to the MEC to conduct a physical audit, especially in areas where we discovered serious anomalies,’ he said, without providing details.
The DPP meanwhile pointed to early tallies showing Mutharika, 85, ahead in three of four councils where official results were released on Friday.
Commission vows thorough checks
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chair Annabel Mtalimanja said the body would not rush its verification process despite mounting political pressure. ‘We need to be meticulous,’ she told journalists, noting the commission has eight days from Tuesday’s vote to announce final presidential results.
The stakes are high after the country’s constitutional court nullified the 2019 presidential election when investigators found correction fluid on ballots. Chakwera went on to win the 2020 rerun, defeating Mutharika.
Media dashboards halted
In a further twist, at least four major broadcasters abruptly stopped running their live, unofficial vote tallies on Friday without explanation, fuelling speculation among voters following the count.
The MEC said it is working to confirm and publish accurate figures while police continue their inquiry into possible electoral fraud.
