The High Court of Malawi has dismissed a petition challenging Nsanje South West Constituency parliamentary results in the September 16 General Election, making it the latest ruling on appeals.
Delivering the judgement on Friday, presiding Judge Mandala Mambulasa said although there was an irregularity in the election, it did not affect the outcome, which independent candidate Walter Nyamilandu Manda won.
Independent candidate Francis Renso prayed for the nullification of the result, accusing Nyamilandu of distributing money to voters on the eve of the election and faulting the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) of not acting on his complaint before announcing the results.
Nyamilandu denied distributing money to people either personally or through his campaign team.
In the ruling, the judge said the court was more inclined to believe Renso’s account that Nyamilandu’s team gave handouts, but noted that there was no proof that actual registered voters were targeted.
“While the court has found that there was indeed an irregularity, the court is not satisfied that the irregularity affected the result of the election,” said Mambulasa.
In a related development, the High Court is this week expected to deliver judgements in at least three other post-parliamentary election disputes.
Today, the court will give its verdict in the case in which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Alfred Gangata is contesting MEC’s decision to nullify the parliamentary results for Lilongwe City Mtandire-Mtsiriza Constituency.
In Blantyre, the High Court is also set to deliver its ruling today on preliminary objections in the case in which Bright Msaka and Macdonald Makanjira are challenging MEC’s declaration of United Democratic Front candidate Tulinje Muluzi as winner in Machinga Likwenu Constituency.
Judiciary data indicate that 90 electoral cases were filed after the 2025 General Election with 45 disposed of as of October 24 2025.
Recently, Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum chairperson Benedicto Kondowe described the increase in electoral disputes this year as an indication that people are aware of what they can do when aggrieved in an electoral process.
