Malawi Anti-Bribery Protest Draws Thousands

Tens of thousands of Malawians protest, Thursday, January 16, over alleged attempts to bribe judges overseeing a legal challenge to the re-election last year of President Peter Mutharika.
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READ MORE: People took to the streets after the country's chief justice charged that the five judges presiding over the case had been offered kickbacks.

The complaint, which was filed to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday, prompted a call for demonstrations in Malawi's three main cities. Around 50,000 people gathered in the capital Lilongwe, with smaller rallies in Blantyre and Mzuzu.

They braved the rain and stood vigil outside parliament. Many wore white T-shirts printed with "ACB name and arrest the bribers now."

Opposition leaders say the May 21 poll, which saw Mutharika narrowly beat runner-up candidate Lazarus Chakwera, was marred by fraud. In August, they petitioned Malawi's top court to annul the results — the first time presidential election results have been legally challenged since the country gained independence from Britain in 1964.

Thursday's demonstrations unfolded peacefully and no incidents were reported at any of the venues, according to police spokesman James Kadadzera.

President Mutharika has brushed off all doubts on the official results, which show he won just 159,000 votes more than Chakwera, a margin of around three percentage points. A ruling is expected by the end of January. (AFP)
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LINK: https://www.voanews.com/africa/malawi...