Malawi to hold vote re-run on July 2: electoral commission

Malawians will return to the polls on July 2 for a presidential election re-run ordered by the country's top court, which annulled last year's vote results because of irregularities, the electoral commission announced Monday. "Following the Constitutional Court ruling on February 3 that nullified the presidential elections and ordered that there should be fresh elections, the commission... therefore announces that the elections will be held on 2nd July," electoral commission chief Jane Ansah told a news conference.

In a landmark ruling last month the Constitutional Court overturned the outcome of the May 21 election, which handed President Peter Mutharika a second term in office. The court said the poll results were fraught with widespread irregularities -- in particular the "massive" use of correction fluid on tally sheets.

It ordered the holding of fresh polls within 150 days, but Mutharika is appealing the court's ruling. The appeal will be heard in the Supreme Court starting April 15.

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