Malawi Congress Party supporters celebrate after party leader Lazarus Chakwera was announced the winner of Tuesday's election rerun in Blantyre, Malawi, Saturday, June 27, 2020. Chakwera is Malawi's sixth president after winning the historic election held last week, the first time a court-overturned vote in Africa has resulted in the defeat of an incumbent leader. Following a hard-fought campaign, Chakwera urged national reconciliation in his inaugural speech in the capital, Lilongwe, and spoke directly to supporters of defeated incumbent president Peter Mutharika. The Malawi Human Right Commission, one of the observers, endorsed the the rerun election as peaceful and transparent. The defeated incumbent Mutharika criticized the rerun election as the worst in Malawis history but he urged the country to move on peacefully speaking to the media in Blantyre on Saturday.

LILONGWE Malawis president on Saturday called the historic re-run of the presidential election the worst in Malawis history but urged the country to move on peacefully as it awaits official results of a vote the opposition is poised to win. Meanwhile, members of the Presidential Guard went to provide security for opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera, who led in the results. A court overturned the original election last year won by Mutharika, citing widespread irregularities including the use of correction fluid on ballots. It was just the second time in Africa that a court has overturned a presidential election, following a ruling on Kenyas vote in 2017. The Constitutional Court on Feb. 3 unanimously ordered that the vote be held again, citing widespread, systematic and grave evidence of irregularities and vote tampering.