As Malawi awaits the official results of its high-stakes general election held on 16 September, a wave of disinformation on social media is threatening to cloud the process.
The Malawi Electoral Commission has yet to release final results, citing an ongoing verification process.
Meanwhile, false claims and impersonation posts have been circulating online, including a fabricated concession statement attributed to presidential candidate Michael Usi.
A post published on X (formerly Twitter) by an account named “DrMichiealUsi” falsely claimed that Usi had conceded defeat to incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera just one day after voting and before any official tallying had begun.
The account, which carries a blue checkmark through X Premium, has however been found to be fake and misrepresenting Usi’s identity and role since his first name is wrongly spelt.
According to AFP Fact Check, Usi had not conceded and that the account was fake.
The news agency reported that Usi’s assistant, Winnie Nyando, had also verified that the statement that the former vice president had conceded did not originate from any of his official platforms.
In a related incident, the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday disowned Facebook posts accusing some human rights defenders of allegedly conspiring against DPP leader Peter Mutharika.
DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba denied any involvement in the online posts.
“To drag our party into this is very unfortunate and unwelcome. DPP is not responsible for any propaganda of any sort,” Namalomba said in a statement.
The DPP official spoke in the wake of condemnation by human rights advocate Undule Mwakasungula of what he described as a dangerous smear campaign allegedly linked to the opposition party.
Mwakasungula warned that such propaganda could incite unrest and jeopardise the safety of human rights defenders.
However, with disinformation spreading across platforms and political actors distancing themselves from responsibility, questions linger: are these denials sincere or simply acts of political expedience?
The disinformation surge comes amid heightened public anticipation, with Malawians having voted to elect a president, members of parliament and local councillors.
According to electoral law, presidential results must be announced within eight days of voting, while parliamentary and local council results are due within 14 and 21 days, respectively.
JN/APA