(Bloomberg) -- Malawian electoral authorities said they suspended the release of results from May 21 elections until they had addressed complaints about the process.
The Malawi Electoral Commission has tallied 98% of the votes and shared the results with the political parties, which agreed that the 147 complaints should be resolved before any announcement is made, Jane Ansah, the commission's chairwoman, told reporters in the commercial capital, Blantyre, on Friday.
With three-quarters of the vote counted, President Peter Mutharika had 40.49% support, while main opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera had 35.44%. Vice President Saulos Chilima, who quit the ruling party last year in protest at the government's perceived failure to clamp down on graft, was third with 18.25%.
The disputed results could change the final election outcome, Ansah said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Frank Jomo in Blantyre at fjomo@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net, Mike Cohen, Hilton Shone
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