Chakwera faults international election observers
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera on lashed out at some international election observers for ‘reporting’ to the world that the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections were conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.
He spoke to hundreds of party followers at MCP headquarters in Lilongwe during a victory celebration for Monday’s annulment of the May 21 presidential election by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt). The event was also attended by People’s Party (PP) president Joyce Banda.
Chakwera accused some unnamed observers of allegedly declaring the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections credible when there were heaps of complaints from opposition parties over massive irregularities in the presidential election management process.
Two days ago, the ConCourt granted UTM Party president Saulos Chilima and Chakwera victory in a case where the two challenged Malawi Electoral Commission’s (MEC) declaration of President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as winner of the race.
Said Chakwera: “I have no issues with them, but I have issues with particular folks that they would just write reports about how this has gone right whether they are from [Southern African Development Community] Sadc, Europe or America.
“These elections were marred by so many irregularities and constitutional laws were deliberately disobeyed and yet some people in this country had reason to even go to the United Nations [UN] and say that they won fair and square… and even calling me a terrorist…when all we were seeking was justice…”
Chakwera then urged fellow politicians in the country and all electoral stakeholders, including foreign observer missions, to rise above politics and let justice flow while appealing for the observance of the rule of law in Malawi.
The MCP leader also said he will soon embark on a countrywide tour to salute people for the support they rendered to the party during and after the elections, starting with Msundwe in Lilongwe this Saturday.
The African Union (AU), Sadc and the European Union (EU) were among major foreign observers who declared the May elections free and fair.
In her address at the MCP event in Lilongwe, Banda, who is also the country’s former president, pledged her support to Chakwera in his fresh bid to contest the presidential seat during the upcoming fresh election.
Meanwhile, people—mostly UTM Party followers—stormed the streets of Mzuzu City to celebrate the ConCourt verdict while business came to a standstill in Blantyre’s central business district (CBD) for about three hours from around noon as the streets were flooded by scores of jubilant opposition followers. The five High Court judge panel, seating as ConCourt, ordered the fresh election within 150 days from Monday after declaring that Mutharika was not duly elected as State President.
