The top of Malawi’s electoral fee has warned political events to not prematurely declare electoral victory, saying they need to look forward to the official outcomes.
Annabel Mtalimanja’s warning got here after the events of the 2 foremost presidential candidates, the incumbent Lazarus Chakwera and his predecessor Peter Mutharika, claimed they’d gained Tuesday’s ballot.
Talking at a press convention on Thursday, Ms Mtalimanja mentioned that solely the fee was mandated to launch outcomes.
Malawians have been eagerly awaiting outcomes, however the fee has not but launched any – even though practically all votes have been counted.
The fee is predicted to announce the result solely in any case votes have been tallied and verified so as to keep away from the potential for the ultimate end result being challenged.
A candidate must win greater than 50% of the vote, or a run-off is held.
The 2019 election was marred by controversy when the best court docket annulled then-President Mutharika’s victory, citing widespread irregularities.
Chakwera, 70, gained the re-run by a large margin, propelling him to the presidency.
Mutharika, 85, is hoping to regain workplace in what could be a dramatic political comeback.
Malawians additionally voted in parliamentary and native elections following a marketing campaign dominated by the worsening financial disaster that has seen a extreme scarcity of gas and international forex.
The official inflation fee is near 30%, with a frozen hen in a grocery store within the capital, Lilongwe, costing about $20 (£15), in a nation the place most individuals stay on $2 a day or much less.
Extra about Malawi from the BBC:
[Getty Images/BBC]
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