Malawian Vice President Saulos Chilima has called for the deportation of former Zimbabwe police chief Augustine Chihuri whom he accused of allegedly assisting the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to rig this week’s general elections.
Chilima, who is one of the top contenders for the presidential race, told journalists on Sunday that Chihuri was allegedly hired by the DPP to train “parallel police officers” who will pose as legitimate officers and try to manipulate the outcome in favour of the ruling party.
“We are saying that Chihuri must leave our country, don’t mess our elections,” Chilima said.
Chihuri served as Zimbabwe’s commissioner of police between 1994 and December 2017 after former president Robert Mugabe was ousted through an army led uprising.
He went into exile in Malawi in 2018 after President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over as Zimbabwean leader in November 2017.
Chilima said his United Transformation Movement was also aware that “there are plans to switch already marked ballot papers with the credible ones.”
“We will soon be writing Malawi Electoral Commission to elaborate these anomalies so that they can fix them urgently,” he said.
Malawians go to the polls to elect a president, members of parliament and local councillors on May 21.
Several candidates are contesting for the presidency, with the top contenders being President Peter Mutharika of the DPP, Chilima, Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party and Atupele Muluzi of the United Democratic Front.
JN/APA