Malawi’s Police Service has reported the arrest of data entry clerks at a collation center in the capital, Lilongwe
At least eight people have been arrested in Malawi over allegations of manipulating figures in the southern African country’s general elections held last week, the authorities have said.
The suspects had been serving as data entry clerks at the Nkhoma Constituency Tally Centre in Lilongwe, in the capital, where they were arrested on Friday, the Malawi Police Service said in a statement on Saturday.
The Police Service “urges Malawians to remain calm as it works against the clock to finalize the investigations,” it stated.
Malawians went to the polls last Tuesday to vote in general elections that included the president, members of parliament, and local councilors. According to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), 7.2 million people registered to vote in the September 16 elections, in which President Lazarus Chakwera sought a second term against rivals promising to tackle soaring inflation, a cost-of-living crunch, and chronic fuel shortages. Sixteen other candidates were on the ballot, including former presidents Peter Mutharika and Joyce Banda.
Partial results released over the weekend show Mutharika leading the race, with Chakwera in second. The former leader secured around 51% of valid votes counted in nine of the country’s 36 councils, compared with nearly 39% for the incumbent, Reuters reported, citing calculations based on official tallies. To win outright, a candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote or the top two contenders have a run-off.
Late Sunday, the MEC said it had received results from 35 of the 36 councils, with only Mangochi District pending, and warned against drawing conclusions until verification is complete.
This year’s vote follows a turbulent 2019 presidential election in the landlocked country that was annulled by the Constitutional Court over tampered tally sheets and other irregularities, prompting a 2020 rerun that produced Chakwera’s victory.
Mutharika, 85, who led Malawi from 2014-2020, is credited by supporters with expanding infrastructure and curbing inflation, though opponents have accused him of favoring allies – an allegation he rejected. Chakwera entered office promising a tougher stance on corruption, but his approach has been criticized as selective and slow.
