Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Malawi

Government petitioned to postpone election

Map of Guinea-Bissau
    BISSAU
    The four opposition candidates in Malawi's presidential election have asked the country's High Court to postpone the 25 May elections in a writ claiming voter registration had been biased in favour of President Baskili Muluzi's governing United Democratic Front (UDF) Party, news organisations reported on Tuesday. A lawyer representing the four candidates, Bazuka Mhango, said they sought a three-week gap between the last day of registration and election day. The registration process was extended from 3 May to 14 after logistical problems in drawing up the full list of the country's four million eligible voters. This had resulted in "thousands' being unable to register. But Malawi's information minister, Sam Mpasu, in an interview with the BBC rejected the postponement request as "irresponsible". He said the candidates were trying to create a constitutional crisis.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join