Malawi’s Supreme Court on Friday threw out an appeal by President Peter Mutharika and the country’s electoral body against an earlier ruling nullifying the outcome of last year’s presidential elections that handed Mutharika victory.
The superior court upheld a February 3 Constitutional Court judgement that found widespread irregularities by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in the conduct of the last presidential elections held in May 2019 and declared the outcome of the polls as null and void.
The lower court ordered the holding of a fresh presidential poll within 150 days.
Mutharika and the MEC however appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court, arguing that the lower court had erred in its ruling.
Friday’s court ruling means that the country will have to proceed with a presidential election re-run scheduled for July 2.
It also came as candidates for the presidential rerun are filing nomination papers and campaigning has commenced.
JN/APA