Middle East & Africa | Let’s do this again

A historic day for Malawi’s democracy

For only the second time in African history, judges nullify a flawed general election

|LILONGWE

THERE ARE many ways to rig an election. Voters can be beaten or bribed. Ballot boxes can be stuffed. Computers tallying results can be hacked. But few methods are more rudimentary than that used last year in Malawi’s general election. In the southern African country of 18m people the dastardly tool was Tipp-Ex, the correction fluid that has saved many a teenager’s error-strewn homework.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Let’s do this again”

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