Congratulations to Malawi for being the country of the year.
Malawi has been named country of the year for “reviving democracy in an authoritarian region” by the Economist newspaper.
The nullification of the 2019 presidential election results were marred by irregularities.
“The vote-count was rigged with correction fluid on the tally sheets. Foreign observers cynically approved it anyway. Malawians launched mass protests against the ‘Tipp-Ex election’. Malawian judges turned down suitcases of bribes and annulled it,” the Economist reports.
The presidential election re-run in June was held by the country and President Peter Mutharika lost to President Lazarus Chakwera.
The Economist reported that the Freedom House’s report that democracy and respect for human rights relapsed in 80 countries between the start of the pandemic and September but only improved in Malawi.
“Malawi is still poor, but its people are citizens, not subjects,” the newspaper adds.