This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On August 8, 2019, Malawi's top court started hearing an opposition application to overturn the results of the presidential elections held on May 21, 2019, due to alleged election irregularities.
The Malawi Congress Party (MCP), the largest opposition, and the United Transformation Movement (UTM) lodged complaints of alleged fraud in the election, which saw President Peter Mutharika of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) narrowly defeat Lazarus Chakwera of the MCP.
Chakwera, who alleges he was the rightful winner of the election, lost by 159,000 votes and described the results as "daylight robbery." He claims that results sheets were altered using correction fluid.
UTM leader and former vice president Saulos Chilima was the first to take the witness stand after the defence failed in its attempts to force a postponement of the hearing.
Security forces were deployed around the court premises, where a small crowd of opposition supporters also congregated.
Malawi won independence from colonial ruler Britain in 1964, and was then ruled by Hastings Banda as a one-party state until the first multi-party elections in 1994.
