LILONGWE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has approved 17 presidential candidates and rejected three ahead of the Sept. 16 general elections, citing failure to meet eligibility criteria.
Sangwani Mwafulirwa, the MEC's director for media and public relations, said in a statement released Wednesday that the approvals and rejections followed a "thorough review process in line with the relevant electoral laws and regulations."
MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja on Thursday unveiled the list of approved candidates, which includes incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, running on a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) ticket; former President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); and former President Joyce Banda representing the People's Party (PP).
Meanwhile, political parties and independent candidates have launched their campaigns nationwide to garner support ahead of the polls.
Malawi adopted the "50 percent plus one" electoral rule in the 2020 rerun of the presidential election, replacing the previous first-past-the-post system. Local political analysts describe the current system as challenging, especially given the high number of candidates and the country's entrenched regional and tribal voting patterns. ■
