This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
Malawi has witnessed a surge in protests over the past week, with demonstrators calling for the resignation of Jane Ansah, the head of the country’s electoral commission, following a disputed election in which President Peter Mutharika won a second term.
On June 20, nationwide demonstrations were held, with protesters demanding Ansah’s resignation. The protests continued on July 5 and 6, with some turning violent in three cities.
Former President Saulos Chilima, leader of the United Transformation Movement, joined the protests in Lilongwe, stating, “We are continuing from where we stopped last time. I am here as a Malawian to join fellow Malawians in seeking justice. We would like Justice Jane Ansah to leave office because as everybody is aware, the elections didn’t go well and we are not happy at all.”
Lazarus Chakwera, leader of the opposition Malawi Congress Party, also participated in the demonstrations.
The Malawi Electoral Commission declared Mutharika the winner of the election with 39 percent of the vote, while Chakwera secured 35 percent and Chilima 20 percent. Chakwera and Chilima have challenged the election results in court, alleging ballot box stuffing and the use of correction fluid to change votes.
Violence erupted in Lilongwe and the northern city of Mzuzu, with protesters looting shops and burning government offices. In Blantyre, clashes broke out between protesters and members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party trying to protect the party’s offices.
Government spokesman Mark Botoman condemned the violence, stating, “It is really unfortunate that [protesters] are disturbing the business of people, lives of people. And this cannot go unchecked. Obviously, anyone who is found torching offices, breaking shops and the like, they will be apprehended.”
Timothy Mtambo, chairman of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition, which organized the protests, denied that the demonstrators were responsible for the violence, stating, “We condemn that in the strongest terms possible, and we disown those people because the demonstrations that we have are peaceful demonstrations. We called for peaceful demonstrations.”
Ansah maintains her innocence and has stated that she will only resign if the court rules that the elections were fraudulent. A hearing on the election dispute is expected to begin on July 29.
