Malawi Electoral Commission asks electoral staff to be non-partisan

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has warned electoral staff that it will not accept any malpractice that will affect the credibility of the forth coming by-elections.

MEC Commissioner, Elvy Ntafu, sounded the warning during the Nsanje District Electoral Stakeholders briefing on Wednesday, saying MEC expects the electoral staff to exercise objectivity in discharging their work so that the elections are free and fair.

Ntafu said the commission is expecting the electoral staff engaged in the exercise to work in a non-partisan manner.

“We do not want them to come and show their party affiliation. We want them to come and assist everyone without showing where he or she belongs. Voters and candidates need to be served equally,” advised Ntafu.

She further said the commission was not interested in what the people would like to vote for but rather making sure that every registered voter has casted his or her vote.

Ntafu, therefore, warned the electoral staff that if they are found flouting the MEC principle and procedures, they would be dismissed immediately.

“We are not going to entertain anything which will put the commission under disrepute.   We do not want to be partisan and we are not partisan,” said Ntafu.

The country’s electoral body will, on the 17th October, 2017, hold by elections in three constituencies including Nsanje Lalanje in Nsanje and three wards.