Lazarus Chakwera |
BLANTYRE, Malawi
With just hours left
before Malawians go out to vote for their president, the Malawi Electoral
Commission (Mec) has reiterated that its desire is to conduct nothing but a
credible election.
The country is Tuesday voting again to elect a president
after the courts nullified President Peter Mutharika’s 2019 re-election.
Addressing the press at the main tally centre at College of
Medicine in Blantyre Sunday evening, Mec Chairperson Chifundo Kachale urged
Malawians to desist from spreading rumours that the election will be rigged,
saying everything regarding the poll is and will continue to be as transparent
as possible.
He also dismissed rumours that some ballot boxes have
already been stuffed with already marked ballot papers and that some District
Commissioners have already filled election results sheets in favour of a
certain candidate.
According to Kachale, no introduction of fake ballot papers
can be possible as observers and party representatives will be allowed to watch
the opening of all ballot boxes and relevant documents before polling starts
Tuesday.
“We are here because the court faulted our processes in the
past. So, we would not do anything that compromises the integrity of the
election,” the Mec chairperson said.
He also disclosed that ballot papers have already reached
all constituencies where they were being distributed to polling stations.
In response to a question on the system Mec will use in determining the winner of the election after Parliament failed to amend the Constitution so that the 50%+1 provision is included, the Mec chairperson said the electoral body will use what the Supreme Court interpreted to mean majority.
Peter Mutharika |
“From a jurisprudential perspective, the highest court on
the land has provided clarity on majority to mean 50%+1 and the commission will
use that in this election,” Kachale said.
He also said Mec still needs the remaining K10 billion to
pay for various election-related services, saying Parliament already
appropriated the funding and that it is now with the Executive to release the
resources.
“This is not a private event. It is a public event that was
budgeted for by Parliament and the Executive is supposed to fund it. We need
the money,” Kachale said.
Meanwhile, the Mec chairperson has also disclosed
that everything is set for the fresh poll with
security officers from the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force,
Presiding Officers and Polling Station Officers, among others, already engaged
for their respective tasks.
Tomorrow’s presidential election follows the nullification
of last year’s vote after Malawi Congress Party and UTM leaders Lazarus
Chakwera and Saulos Chilima, respectively, petitioned the court alleging
widespread irregularities.
A panel of five High Court judges, that handled the
petition case as a constitutional referral, ordered that the fresh poll should
be held within 150 days from February 3 when it delivered its judgement.
The Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the judgement and
‘reluctantly’ agreed with the 150-days order, arguing the poll should, in fact,
have been held within 60 days from the day the lower court delivered its
judgement.
Mutharika, representing the Democratic Progressive Party and United Democratic Front Alliance, and Chakwera, representing the Tonse Alliance, are the frontrunners in this election with the third candidate being Peter Kuwani of Mbakuwaku Movement for Development. - Africa
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