Karonga, 22 June, 2020 / 11:10 pm (ACI Africa).
Ahead of the Presidential election rerun in Malawi scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 23, a Catholic Bishop in the Southeastern African nation has challenged voters to consider electing a candidate who will prioritize the socio-economic welfare of citizens, making narrow “the wide gap” between the rich and the poor.
“This election is a decisive moment for our country; Malawians need to vote wisely for a leader who will narrow down the wide gap between the haves and the have nots emanating from lack of good economic policies and rule of law,” Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of Malawi’s Karonga Diocese was quoted as saying Sunday, June 21.
Speaking during Mass at St. Mary’s Parish Karonga in Northern Region of Malawi, Bishop Mtumbuka made known his “great concern” about the “huge economic difference between the rich and the poor due to poor leadership. There is high desperation from the youth due to lack of employment.”
The June 23 historic presidential re-run follows the country’s Constitutional Court decision to overturn last year’s Presidential election that saw President Peter Mutharika re-elected with a narrow margin.
Citing "grave" and "widespread" irregularities, the court ruled in February that President Mutharika had not been duly elected, and mandated a new poll within 150 days.