/ 28 June 1999

SETBACK FOR MALAWIAN OPPOSITION

MALAWI’S opposition on Friday faced a new setback in its challenge to President Bakili Muluzi’s reelection victory when a court deferred a hearing on the affair to next month. The opposition is seeking the annulment of the results of presidential elections on June 15, charging that they were rigged. The delay was necessitated when Muluzi’s ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) on Friday joined in the legal challenge as respondents to the petition by the opposition Malawi Congress Party and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD). A High Court was expected on Friday to hear the petition, but the matter was postponed to July 12.