The Violet left 13 houses torched and Nicholas Dausi, DPP spokesman said the houses belonged to DPP supporters including DPP candidate Frank Mazizi.

Dausi beamoned the level of violence in the MCP strong constituency, saying it had become unbearable. He said they had written pollster Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).

The spokesman said MCP which was in power for three decades during the one-party era—we are now in democracy and political parties were free to go and campaign anywhere in the country.

MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka dismissed Dausi’s claims, saying people in the constituency had resorted to violence because of other reasons.

He said MCP is not part of the violence, saying he understood angry people organized themselves against the DPP.

The by-election is being held after one of the candidates died before the May 21 poll.

Mazizi of DPP will contest against Peter Dimba (MCP) , Julius Chombwe of Mbakuwaku Movement and independents Patson Kachingwe and Samson Phinifolo.

Demonstrations by HRDC and the opposition MCP and UTM have led the country to a state of lawlessness, with people taking the law in their own hands by torching suspects, looting and burning of public and private property.

The MCP and UTM have petitioned the constitutional court seeking to declare the presidential poll won by President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika nullified, claiming MEC rigged the poll in favour of the Mutharika.