A rigged vote is overturned in Malawi. Why not in Congo?

IN THE PAST 13 months Congo and Malawi have both held rotten elections. In Malawi tally sheets arrived at a central vote-counting station having been altered with Tipp-Ex, a correction fluid. The incumbent president, Peter Mutharika, narrowly “won”. In the Democratic Republic of Congo an independent tally organised by Catholic bishops has suggested that an opposition leader, Martin Fayulu, won about 60% of the vote, three times as many as Félix Tshisekedi. But Mr Tshisekedi was declared the winner and sworn in as president in January 2019.What happened after these two pilfered polls was very different, however (see & ). In Malawi this week the constitutional court overturned the result and ordered a new vote to be held within 150 days. This is only the second time in African history that a court has nullified a dodgy general election. It is a triumph for the rule of law. It shows that local judges can be stricter than foreign election monitors. And it gives Malawians hope that they can choose their own rulers.