The High Court has nullified the Malawi Electoral Commission’s (MEC) decision to cancel the results of a recent parliamentary election and has ordered the commission to declare a winner.
The case concerned the Lilongwe City Mtandire, Mtsiriza Constituency parliamentary election, held on September 16, 2025.
The MEC had annulled the results on September 27, citing irregularities and tampering with ballot materials.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Mdeza found that the MEC failed to properly handle the election complaint.
The court said the commission compromised transparency by reopening sealed ballot envelopes without the presence of monitors for candidate Alfred Ruwan Gangata.
The judgment noted that even after the MEC’s own irregular review of some ballots, Gangata was still leading by 17 votes.
The court concluded that the will of the voters was clear and that the MEC’s decision to nullify the entire election was unjustified.
The High Court has ordered the MEC to determine the final results based on the available electoral materials.
This means that, according to the ruling, the petitioner Alfred Ruwan Gangata is the victor, the court has also awarded him costs for the case.