Mutharika Re-Elected to 2nd Term in Tight Race: Malawi

Malawi's President Peter Mutharika won re-election with 38% of the votes in last week's polls, the electoral commission declared Monday. Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party won 63 seats in the legislative body, while Chakwera's Malawi Congress Party got 55 seats and 52 independent candidates were elected. Up to 5.1 million Malawians voted in the May 21 election, representing 74% of the registered voters, said electoral commission chairwoman Jane Ansah. In ruling that the results should be announced, the judge said the electoral commission is mandated by law to finalize the electoral process in a timely manner. He also said there could be a judicial review of the result that the opposition leader had sought in his application.