Local transmissions of the corona virus in Malawi are fast rising, a situation that continues to raise concern among health experts and other stakeholders.

The Director of Health and Social Services for Nkhata Bay Dr. Mwatikonda Mbendera has become the first senior official in the ministry of health to publicly declare his coronavirus positive status.

Even members of the Malawi Defense Force have had to, for a while, reserve time to go and choose who they want to be the president of Malawi.

President Peter Mutharika has put his foot down he will not dissolve his cabinet prior to the Constitutional Court ordered fresh presidential poll slated for June 23, as it is legally required of him.

Only days to polling in the fresh presidential election, government says it is grappling with sourcing funds to meet K8.7bn deficit on the Malawi Electoral Commission-MEC, budget.

Alliances React to IPOR Election Outcome Projecting a Chakwera Victory

With only days to go before the court-sanctioned fresh presidential election, two major contenders to the race MCP-UTM, TONSE Alliance and Democratic Progressive Party DPP and United Democratic Front DPP-UDF have reacted differently to the poll projections by the Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR) which suggest that Dr. Lazarus Chakwera will be the next president of Malawi.

IPOR among other objectives, assessed the public mood ahead of the fresh presidential poll slated for June, 23rd 2020 and how the Malawian electorate intends to cast their ballot.

The findings suggest, 51.33 percent of the respondents will vote for TONSE Alliance torch bearer Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Klause Chilima, while 33 percent of the respondents said they will go for the president Peter Mutharika and running mate Atupele Muluzi of the Democratic Alliance of DPP-UDF.

Despite being pessimistic to the findings, Director of Elections for the DPP-UDF alliance Ben Phiri told Zodiak Media, they will draw lessons from the findings.

"We don’t want to fault the organization, because we believe that they are professionals and they know what they are doing. Every research has its own methodology, I do not have the scope which they used, and it is very difficult for us to either credit or discredit it. Regardless, we will do the right thing by looking at the positivity and negativity of it for the good of our party," said Phiri.

On the other hand, Malawi Congress Party MCP publicity secretary Maurice Munthali said the findings are true reflections on what’s on the ground, but the TONSE Alliance will not be complacent.

"Everybody knows that as a country we are going through untold agonies, suffering of the people is unprecedented and indicators of this research is a true reflection of where Malawi is today and going. We welcome the findings and this is an encouragement on our part, though we do not want to be complacent we have a battle to fight and we will fight on until what Malawians want is ushered upon them," said Munthali.

10 percent of the respondents to the research were undecided while 0.003 percent gave chance to little known, Peter Driver Sinosi Kuwani of Mbakuwaku Movement for development MMD.

Despite widespread condemnation against usurping powers of the judiciary, government is adamant insisting that the executive was justified since Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda has accumulated 572 leave days hence should proceed on leave pending his retirement.

MCP-UTM alliance presidential candidate, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, on Tuesday took his campaign to Nkhata Bay where multitudes turned up to hear the governance plan of the nine parties forming the alliance when he is ushered into office after June 23.

Democratic Progressive Party and united Democratic Front DPP & UDF alliance running mate Atupele Muluzi on Sunday ended his northern region tour with whistle stops at Mpamba, Nkhata Bay Boma, Chintheche and Tukombo.

The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority MERA has maintained the fuel pump prices for Diesel at 664.80 Kwacha, Petrol at 690.50 Kwacha and Liquid Petroleum gas.