Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is facing 83 petitions in the High Court of Malawi that losing parliamentary aspirants have filed in 83 of the declared 224 constituencies, it has emerged.
The petitions have come in the wake of MEC’s declaration of results of the parliamentary race in the September 16 2025 General Election in 224 of the 229 constituencies on October 1 2025.
Judiciary chief corporate affairs and public relations officer Ruth Mputeni in an interview yesterday said out of the 83 parliamentary election challenges, 41 are at Lilongwe District Registry, 22 at Principal Registry in Blantyre, 15 at the Zomba Registry and five at Mzuzu Registry.
She said the courts are ready to handle the petitions expeditiously in accordance with electoral laws.
“Out of the 83 cases, about 33 were recorded between October 1 and 10 after Malawi Electoral Commission announced the official parliamentary election results while 50 were lodged before MEC released the official results. All the cases have been assigned to judges,” said Mputeni.
Prominent politicians seeking legal redress include Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice-president for the Eastern Region Bright Msaka and McDonald Makanjira in a case challenging the victory of United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Tulinje Muluzi in Machinga Likwenu Constituency.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) second deputy president Abida Sidik Mia is also contesting the declaration of DPP candidate Lloyd Malola as the winner in Chikwawa Mkombezi Constituency while DPP vice-president for the Central Region Alfred Gangata has taken to court MCP candidate George Zulu and MEC over the nullification of results in Lilongwe City Mtandire-Mtsiriza Constituency.
Other cases involve independent Joseph Manguluti against former minister of Finance Symplex Chithyola Banda in Kasungu South Constituency, DPP candidate Lizzie Ndomondo versus MCP secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda and MEC in Dowa East Constituency and independents Rashid Abdul Gaffar and Alex Chimwala against DPP torchbearer Veronica Ndalama and MEC in Blantyre City South Lunzu Constituency.
In her petition, Ndomondo accuses Chimwendo Banda of intimidating her monitors and distributing handouts prohibited under the country’s electoral laws. Chimwendo Banda was declared winner with 22 111 votes against Ndomondo’s 3 997 votes.
In Luchenza Municipality Constituency, MCP’s Juma Khamisa is challenging the declaration of Chimwemwe Chipungu of DPP as winner while independent Thom Njirika is disputing results for Blantyre Ndirande-Nyambadwe-Malabada Constituency that declared Ishmael Mkumba of UDF the winner.
Njirika, in his skeleton arguments filed before the court, said he has evidence that on the night of September 15, few hours before the election, Mkumba distributed money to prospective voters to influence them to vote for him, saying the act contravenes Section 41 (1) (3) of Political Parties Act.
He further claims that Mkumba convened a meeting at Blantyre Lodge with teachers designated as polling centre and constituency returning officers and solicited their cooperation to manipulate results in the respondents’ favour.
Njirika is seeking nullification of the results in the constituency.
Meanwhile, High Court Judge Joseph Chigona has set October 29 2025 for hearing of the petition.
In another case that has been disposed of, the High Court dismissed an application filed by Ramuzan Juma Mahomed, who sought suspension of the declaration, swearing-in and assumption of office of member of Parliament-elect for Nsanje South Thomson Kamangira of DPP.
MEC had initially declared Mahomed, an independent candidate, as winner, but later reversed the declaration and determined that Kamangira had won after an assessment of the null and void votes.
However, High Court Judge Etness Chanza ruled that the application was brought before the court in an erroneous manner.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum chairperson Benedicto Kondowe observed that electoral disputes have increased in this election compared to previous polls.
He said the development also signals that candidates are channelling their grievances in the right direction.
“At this stage, MEC has already determined the winners. But the law provides for those aggrieved to petition the courts. It is a good sign in democracy and increase in the cases show that people are now aware of what they can do when aggrieved in an electoral process,” said Kondowe.
On his part, Centre for Multiparty Democracy executive director Boniface Chibwana hailed the Judiciary for timely disposal of electoral cases.
He asked the courts to expedite the remaining cases that might have a bearing on the just declared results of parliamentary and local government elections.
During the declaration of parliamentary election results, MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said that in line with electoral laws, the commission reviewed void votes in several constituencies where their total could affect outcomes.
She said the constituencies included Mzimba South East, Nkhata Bay Central, Mchinji South West, Salima South and Lilongwe Msinja North.
Mtalimanja also reported that all complaints lodged during polling and tallying were reviewed and determined, with outcomes recorded in the Malawi Government Gazette, the official publication of the government.
MEC confirmed results in 224 constituencies out of 229, with five constituencies—Lilongwe City Bwaila, Lilongwe City Mtandire-Mtsiriza, Dedza Mtakataka, Nkhotakota Liwaladzi and Blantyre West—remaining vacant due to nullifications, postponements or irregularities.
