A five judges panel of the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court in the presidential election of May 21, 2019, has nullified the re-election of a sitting president, Peter Mutharika.
Justice Healy Potani, who chaired the panel of judges as they delivered the ruling on Monday, said the court has analysed the importance of the case to the nation and legality of the petitions by opposition parties.
The court declared the presidential result “invalid, null and void” after siding with the petitioners, which had argued that the vote had been rigged. Said Justice Potani:
It has been our findings that irregularities and anomalies have been so widespread, systematic and grave that the integrity of the results has been seriously compromised.
We hold the first respondent (Peter Mutharika) was not duly elected during the 21 May 2019 elections. We hereby order the nullification of the said elections.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera, who came second, and UTM Party’s leader Saulos Chilima, who finished third, challenged Mutharika’s victory at the ConCourt, alleging that the results were manipulated.