{UAH} MALAWI ELECTION: Victory and Lessons for Democracy in Africa

Malawi is on the trajectory of history and perhaps a path of new beginnings and great things with the peaceful transition of power from the ruling party to an opposition party.

Opposition party candidate Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has been declared winner of Malawi's election with 2,604, 043 votes - representing 58.57% of the total votes cast defeating the incumbent President Peter Mutharika.

Lazarus rose again in Malawi Presidential Elections

It is the one of the few occasions in Africa that an opposition party has democratically won power after a vote was overturned twice. Dr. Chakwera becomes the first African opposition candidate to beat an incumbent after a court overturned a presidential election. Remember how Raila Odinga's lost out in an presidential election rerun in Kenya.

In May 2019, President Mutharika claimed victory over Chakwera, but the court nullified the election and ordered a fresh election. The second resulted in yet a rerun when the leading candidates did not get a clear majority.

Reacting to his victory, the president-elect said "my victory is a win for democracy and justice. My heart is bubbling with joy.

Dr Chekwera is a Pentecostal preacher and former theology preacher.

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Role of focused Opposition party in electoral victory;

Political analysts argue that it is only a strong democratic structure would guarantee victory to an opposition party in Africa. Yet, the victory for the Malawi opposition party - Malawi Congress Party is not only about a strong democratic structure but a robust and well-coordinated opposition.

Sadly, the outgoing President Mutharika does not believe the rerun was fair and free. He has refused to concede defeat and ask for nullification of the results yet again, claiming that it is the worst election in the history of Malawi.

President Mutharika's action like Paul Biya of Cameroun is a reflection of sit-tight attitude to power that has held Africa bound since independence. Africa can only grow and prosper when its leaders allow the will of the people to prevail through fair and free elections that usher in new ideas and minds to build on previous efforts. 

The will of the people prevailed.

But much more than a strong democratic structure or well focused and coordinated opposition party, the will of the Malawi people prevail at the polls.

Right from May 2019 when the first election was nullified, the people of Malawi fought for the election. Many took to the streets in protest, civil society went to courts and judiciary stood firm, even the military refused to compromise its integrity.

Thanks to COVID-19, No International Observers in Malawi Elections.

An interesting thing about the last Malawi elections is that there was no international election observers as it is the norm to have volunteer observers monitoring the integrity. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Malawi was left to decide its fate with any confusing interference and pronouncements from observers and monitors.

Indeed Africa can and should manage its internal affairs

Slow but steady, change is coming to Africa- with free and fair elections without international observer.

International observers in the first run of the elections adjudged it to be fair and free, but the people rose up and a rerun election was held leading to peaceful transition of power from ruling party to opposition party.

It is time Africa stands on its own feet and be left alone to decide its fate and chart a new course for its future. 

Source: opera.com

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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