Lilongwe, MALAWI
Malawi's Supreme Court will hear next month an appeal by
President Peter Mutharika against a ruling that annulled his May 2019
re-election, an official said here early this week.
In February,
the Constitutional Court nullified results that saw Mutharika narrowly re-elected,
citing widespread irregularities, in particular the "massive" use of
correction fluid on tally sheets.
The ruling
was issued with an order for officials to hold a new presidential election
within 150 days.
Allegations
of vote-rigging following the May 2019 poll sparked protests across the
normally peaceful southern African country, and violence erupted at several
demonstrations.
On Monday,
spokeswoman Agnes Patemba told AFP that an appeal lodged by Mutharika and the
electoral commission would be heard for two weeks from mid-April.
"Seven
Supreme Court justices will convene to hear the appeal .... on April 15,"
she said.
On Sunday,
two protest organisers were arrested for threatening more demonstrations if
Mutharika did not sign laws to allow for fresh polls.
Gift
Trapence and MacDonald Sembereka, leaders of the Human Rights Defenders
Coalition, were accused of unlawfully mobilising people after they called for
state residences - presidential homes spread across the country - to be shut
down.
Mutharika had warned
them to stop organising protests shortly before they were arrested.
"Be
warned, your time is up, the party is over, get up and smell the coffee,"
Mutharika said during a rally by supporters.
Opposition
figure Timothy Mtambo, who police say is on the run, had warned that five
million people could be mobilised to shut down all state residences. - Africa
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