Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has conceded defeat to his biggest rival, Peter Mutharika, ahead of the official announcement of the election results.
As previously reported by Live Africa News, although 17 candidates were in the running, the elections, which were held just over a week ago, were largely seen as a showdown between the current president, 70-year-old Lazarus Chakwera, and his 85-year-old predecessor, Peter Mutharika.
The two rivals have faced off at the polls twice: Initially in 2014, when Mutharika emerged victorious, and again in 2020, when Chakwera won a rerun with 59% of the vote after the initial election was nullified due to irregularities.
COURT DISMISSES CHAKWERA’S BID TO HALT ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCEMENT
Meanwhile, the Malawi High Court in Lilongwe dismissed Chakwera and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP)’s application to stop the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) from declaring the election results over alleged irregularities.
Tuesday’s judgment came as unofficial results projected opposition leader and former president Peter Mutharika on track for victory with a commanding 56% of the vote, while Chakwera trailed with just 24%, the Mail & Guardian reported.
The court’s decision meant the MEC could proceed with publishing the final results as scheduled at 14:00 on Wednesday. However, the announcement had been postponed.
