BLANTYRE, Malawi — Malawi is expected to go to the polls for a fresh presidential election on May 19 after a court overturned last year’s vote, citing widespread irregularities.
Parliament on Monday set the date while amending the Electoral Act, another of the constitutional Court’s orders. The amended law allows for a runoff election within 30 days if no candidate receives a majority of votes.
President Peter Mutharika and the electoral commission of the southern African nation have appealed the court ruling.
Mutharika has 21 days to decide whether to approve parliament’s decisions.
The ruling early this month was the just the second time that a court in Africa had nullified the results of a presidential election, after a Kenyan court did so in 2017.
The decision followed months of sometimes violent unrest as some in Malawi called for the head of the electoral commission to step down.
Parliament has recommended that the current electoral commissioners be replaced.
Gregory Gondwe, The Associated Press
