Malawi's Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling ordering that one-million extra ballot papers be turned over to the high court ahead of general elections due two days later to prevent vote-rigging.

"The high court erred in making this decision. The court has no legal mandate to keep ballots," chief justice Leonrad Unyolo said, referring to the lower court's ruling six days ago.

Unyolo said it would be impractical for the excess ballot papers to be turned over to the high court "considering ballots had already been dispatched" throughout the country's 28 districts.

Malawi was originally scheduled to hold its third multi-party polls since 1994 on Thursday but were deferred by two days following opposition complaints that a new voters' roll, which slashed the number of voters by nearly one-million to 5,7-million, was seriously flawed.

Charles Mhango, a lawyer for the seven-party opposition Mgwirizano (Unity) coalition which had filed the complaint told the court there were "fears" that the commission intended to help the ruling party of outgoing President Bakili Muluzi rig the elections with the extra ballots. - Sapa-AFP