Opposition demands Malawi parliament debates missing elections biometric kit

Opposition Peoples Party (PP) leader in parliament Ralph Mhone says the missing crucial Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) biometric voter registration kit should be debated in the forthcoming November 19 last seating of parliament.

“We would like to find out how this missing biometric kit is affecting preparations for the elections, this is an important issue which should be tabled in the House,” said Mhone.

The missing kit was found in a cargo wagon of a train in Mozambique, raising suspicions if Malawi will have a free, fair and credible elections in May 2019 as there are suspicions that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is bent to rig the elections.

Mhone said this calls for the change of electoral laws in the country which he said the government rejected in the last seating of parliament.

The Nkhata Bay central legislator said the missing of the kit and an election laptop computer in Mzuzu is a clear sign that MEC is not prepared to hold the election.

Mhone said apart from the biometric kit issue, parliament will debate on tobacco, saying tobacco farmers continue to get peanuts from the hard work of growing the leaf.

Government chief whip Henry Mussa said the members of parliament, meeting for the last time before an election in May, will debate government bills, ministerial statements, private members bills as well as ministers taking questions from back benchers.

“We want to deal with all the outstanding government bills as well as ministerial statements,” he said.

Mussa said it will be business as usual although this will be the last time this crop of legislators would be meeting before the highly contentious election in May.

The membersof parliament meets from November 19 to December.

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