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Africa InsidersMalawi

Insiders Insight: Malawi’s president is under siege

By Africa Insiders
August 14, 2019
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Credit: Marco Verch

African Arguments is and always will be freely-accessible to everyone.

But we also have a separate spin-off product called the Africa Insiders Newsletter. It consists of weekly emails with additional snappy insights on topics such as elections, conflict, health and more. It’s for those who want a bit extra and comes with a small subscription fee:

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Table of contents:

  • What everyone is talking about
    • Malawi’s president under siege
  • What we are talking about
    • Tanzania takes on a journalist
  • Continental health corner
    • Is Burundi ignoring a malaria epidemic?
  • Report of the week
    • Climate Change and Land – Africa in focus
  • If you’ve got time, read these! 

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Free segment: What everyone is talking about

Malawi’s president under siege

The essentials: Malawi‘s streets have been clogged with protesters and its courts filled with various attempts to dislodge recently re-elected President Peter Mutharika. Opponents claim that Mutharika’s allies rigged the May elections in which he won a slim victory. Now a hearing is moving forward in the country’s top court to overturn the results.

The background: Mutharika took the presidency with just 39% of the vote in a wide field. His opponents, led by runner-up Lazarus Chakwera, accused Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of tampering with results in some parts of the country.

Efforts to block Mutharika’s inauguration failed and protesters have been on the street ever since. In some instances their activities have turned violent, but the court has upheld their right to demonstrate despite regime efforts to shut down the protests.

Though Mutharika has managed to hold onto power, his ability to actually accomplish anything is being eroded in the face of the persistent protests and court challenges.

The good: This shows that Malawi’s democratic institutions — or at least some of them, depending on your perspective on the election — work. Protests have been allowed to continue. Court challenges have moved forward. And though there has been some violence and looting, it has been contained.

The bad: The country has essentially been at a three-month standstill as people wait to see what comes of these efforts to remove Mutharika from office.

The future: Much of it hinges on the current court challenge. It’s hard to imagine Mutharika stepping down, but it might prompt some kind of conciliation with the opposition. A victory for the administration, though, could spur more people to take to the streets.

  • Malawi’s top court hears presidential election result challenge (Al Jazeera)
  • Malawi protesters, police clash in new wave of post-vote demos (AFP)
  • Protesters loot in Malawi as presidential challenge goes to court(Bloomberg)

Discuss with @_andrew_green on Twitter

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The Africa Insiders’ Newsletter is a collaboration between AfricanArguments.org and @PeterDoerrie, with contributions from @_andrew_green, @shollytupe, and assistance from Stella Nantongo. Part of the subscription revenue is funding in-depth and freely accessible reporting and analysis on African Arguments.

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The Africa Insiders Newsletter is a weekly newsletter brought to you by African Arguments. Written by leading journalists and analysts, it it made up of snappy, insightful updates on the major developments that have hit the week's headlines, and those that should've.

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