An inspection of polling materials began this week in Malawi following a Supreme Court ruling to allow opposition parties access to the ballots of the controversial June general elections.
Electoral commission lawyer Arthur Nanthuru said the first ballot boxes were opened on Monday at a government warehouse whose gates were manned by soldiers, news reports said. Heavily armed Malawian soldiers have been deployed to provide security during the inspection and have been instructed to allow only eight officials from each contesting party and the electoral
commission to do the inspecting.
The police were initially withdrawn from the exercise after supporters of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and the opposition clashed on Monday, after camping at the warehouse for the whole day, AFP reported. The recounting and inspection was due to last 21 days.
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