Malawian President Peter Mutharika on Wednesday condemned a decision by the constitutional court to annul his re-election and said he would take part in the fresh poll ordered by judges despite his decision to appeal the verdict.  

The southern African nation made history on Monday when the court ruled in favor of an opposition bid to cancel May presidential election results over fraud allegations. After six months of hearings broadcast on public radio, the judges deemed that Mutharika was "not duly elected." They cited widespread irregularities such as the use of correction fluid on ballot sheets and ordered a fresh poll within 150 days.  

Mutharika, who has pledged to challenge the court's decision, described the judgement as a "serious subversion of justice" marking the "death of Malawi's democracy."  

"We are not appealing to stop the next election," said Mutharika on Wednesday during an address to the nation in the capital Lilongwe. "We are ready to campaign and win as we have always done."  

The president added that he was appealing to correct "fundamental errors in the judgement" and to "seek justice."  

"Let us not be carried away by this court ruling because it is not the end of everything," he added. 

Mutharika, 79, has six weeks to submit the challenge to Malawi's Supreme Court. His lawyer Frank Mbeta confirmed to AFP they were preparing the appeal papers but did not have a submission date.  

It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1964, and only the second African vote result to be canceled after the 2017 Kenya presidential vote.  

Lazarus Chakwera, the leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, who came a close second to Mutharika, hailed the landmark verdict.  

"It is democracy that has won. It is Malawi that has won. It is Africa that has won. And now justice has been served," he told more than 10,000 jubilant supporters who thronged his party's Lilongwe headquarters on Tuesday.  

Mutharika was declared the winner of the May 21 election with 38.5 percent of the vote, with Chakwera losing by just 159,000 votes. Chakwera said at the time he was robbed of victory and went to court to challenge the result.