President Peter Mutharika has denied saying that his votes were stolen in the Central Region.
He made the remarks on Saturday in Mulanje where he opened the Chitakale-Phalombe-Jali-Zomba road and presided over the ground-breaking for the construction of Muloza-Chiringa.
Mutharika said he never stated that there was rigging in the Central Region during the May 21 elections.
“I never said there was rigging. I said there was no rigging but if there was rigging it was in the Central Region because our monitors were chased away and beaten to stop them from observing the elections,” Mutharika said.
At a rally in Blantyre in June, Mutharika claimed, without elaborating, that his votes were stolen in the Central Region.
Opposition parties are challenging results of the May 21 presidential elections in court and they have been joining demonstrations to protest against the outcome of the elections.
During the Mulanje event, Mutharika reiterated his stance that the May 21 elections were free, fair and credible saying international observers were satisfied with the process.
The Malawi leader told the opposition to accept defeat and warned them against damaging public infrastructure during post-election demonstrations.
On the project, Mutharika said the road is evidence that his administration completes projects which it initiates in all parts of Malawi.
“This road is important to the economy of this country, this road will support attraction of tourists. The road connects Mulanje and Zomba Mountains and these are important destinations for tourist attractions,” Mutharika said.
He added that there will be a ring road around Mulanje Mountain after completion of the Muloza-Chiringa road.
In his speech, Mutharika warned contractors that they will not get paid if they construct substandard roads.
“If a contractor constructs a substandard road, we will not pay them. In Mzuzu, Karonga up to Songwe poor quality roads have been constructed. Stop this because you are stealing from us,” Mutharika said.
