Ansah expected to attend PAC meeting

Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has invited beleaguered Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah to a meeting this Monday  in Blantyre  as  part  of its mediation talks to resolve post-election stalemate.

Ansah  who is facing accusations of mismanaging the May 21 Tripartite Elections and purportedly favouring President Peter Mutharika, is expected to attend the meeting.

PAC Executive Director Robert Phiri said the mediation team, which comprises members from Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), Quadria Muslim Association of Malawi (Qmam) and Malawi Council of Churches , expect to hold “ a constructive conversation” with the electoral body.

Ansah, a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, dismissed calls for her to resign, saying  she would only step down if the court hearing an elections petition case found her leadership to have failed to discharge duties.

Since May 27 this year when MEC declared President Peter Mutharika of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) winner of the presidential race in the May 21 Tripartite Elections with 1 940 740 votes, representing 38.8 percent, the political temperature has risen, with nationwide demonstrations which in some cases have been marred by looting and violence.

Results MEC announced put Lazarus  Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP)  on second position with 1 781 740 votes, representing 35.41 percent and  UTM Party president Saulos Chilima came third, ahead of four other aspirants, with 1 018 369 votes, representing 20.24 percent.

Chilima and Chakwera have since filed a petition in the Constitutional Court seeking nullification of the presidential election results. They cite alleged flaws in the results management process as one key factor for their case.

On the other hand,  Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has been in the forefront organising nationwide demonstrations to force Ansah to resign for allegedly presiding over a flawed electoral process.