Tension is rising in Malawi after police arrested eight election data clerks accused of manipulating vote tallies in this week’s general elections. The arrests, made in Lilongwe and surrounding areas, have stirred fears of déjà vu in a country still scarred by the annulled 2019 presidential poll. National police spokesman Peter Kalaya confirmed the detentions and revealed that investigators are also probing an attempted suicide by a returning officer who allegedly admitted being offered bribes to twist results.
Both sides of the political divide are now claiming victory. President Lazarus Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) says it has found “serious anomalies” in vote counts across nearly half of the country’s districts, prompting a formal demand for a physical audit. On the other hand, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led by 85-year-old former president Peter Mutharika, points to early tallies showing him ahead in several key councils.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is caught in the middle of the storm. Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja insists the commission will not be rushed, reminding the public it has eight days from Tuesday’s vote to release the final results. “We need to be meticulous,” she told journalists, as political pressure mounts from both sides. The caution is understandable—Malawians vividly remember 2019, when the constitutional court nullified the presidential election after investigators found ballots tampered with correction fluid. That ruling paved the way for the 2020 rerun, which Chakwera won against Mutharika.
Meanwhile, confusion spread further on Friday when four major broadcasters abruptly stopped displaying their live, unofficial vote tallies without explanation. For ordinary citizens glued to radio and TV updates, the blackout only deepened suspicion that something is being hidden.
![Image of Malawians anxiously watching election updates on TV in a public space]
As the MEC struggles to deliver a credible outcome and police dig deeper into fraud allegations, Malawians are left holding their breath. In a nation where past elections have triggered both relief and unrest, the coming days could determine whether faith in democracy holds firm—or cracks under pressure once again.
