Ansah set to resign as PAC says Malawi electoral commissioners fired

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah has revolved to resignfrom  her post following the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal judgement upholding the nullification of the May 21 2019 presidential election and querying the electoral body’s competency, Nyasa Times understands.

Ansah has confided to one of the MEC officials that she is “throwing in the towel”, saying her position and that of the commission is “untenable” after a botched presidential election last year.

The MEC chairperson, who is judge at Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, vowed forcefully that  she could resign if Supreme Court upheld lower court decision.

On Friday, the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal has upheld the February 3 2020 decision of the five-judge panel of the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court.

The  Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) which led nationwide demonstrations demanding Ansah’s head for presiding over a flawed electoral process has asked her to step down.

HRDC leaders comprising national coordinator Luke Tembo, Central Region chairperson McDonald Sembereka and executive members Billy Mayaya and Andrew Salima said the Supreme Court’s decision vindicated  their demand to ask Ansah to go.

“We remember that when we told Malawians that MEC did not manage the election well, we demanded that the commission should resign but they said they will resign if the Supreme Court judgement faults them,” said Sembereka.

But one of the commissioners said Ansah has decided to go back to Judiciary as a Judge.

“She is going to announce her departure at MEC,” said a source in the commission.

Meanwhile, quasi-religious body, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has said Ansah and her fellow commissioners should leave the pollster offices immediately because the Supreme Court ruling has fired them.

PAC spokesperson Gilford Matonga said:“President Peter Mutharika no longer needs to fire them. The Supreme Court ruling is self-explanatory on what should be done. They just need to leave the MEC offices, they have been fired.”

He said the commissioners should not wait for some people to push them out of office.

The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday upheld the Constitutional Court ruling of February 3 which annulled last year’s presidential election over alleged irregularities.

MEC had appealed the historic decision of the five-judge panel of the High Court sitting as the Constitutional Court.