Ansah ‘taking Malawians for fools’, says won’t resign until appeal ruling

February 12, 2020 Wongani Chiuta - Nyasa Times 46 Comments

Embattled Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah has said she is not going to resign from her position unless the Supreme Court of Appeal upholds the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) judgement on February 3 2020 which found that evidence of fraud and malpractice meant the results of the presidential poll could not be allowed to stand.

The chairperson of the Electoral Commission Justice Jane Ansah arrives at the National Assembly for the inquiry-pic by Lisa Kadango

Initially, Ansah, a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, said when calls for her to resign started, that she would abdicate from her officer at the commission if the ConCourt finds her in the wrong.

But despite the court faulted MEC, defiant Ansah told Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC) that the commission appealed the ruling of ConCourt because it was not the final arbiter and they were rejecting its findings.

“There are issues the commission does not agree with. There is need for second eye-which is the Appeal Court,” Ansah said.

She said MEC declared the winner based  on the current electoral law, saying since 1994, when Malawi returned to multiparty democracy, the vote has been determined by first-past-past-the-post (FPTP) in which the candidate with most votes wins regardless of whether they receive a majority of support.

FPTP, or winner takes it all, means one with more votes is a winner but the judges’ suggestion in the ruling was that none of the presidential candidates could have won because none of them received over 50%.

The law requires the victor to receive a majority. This was a radical alternative legal interpretation of Malawi’s constitution and could require the country to amend its Elections Act.

Ansah said if the “Supreme Court finds us wrong, I will resign”.

Former Attorney General and one of Malawi’s finest lawyers Ralph Kasambara has described Ansah’s stand as “taking Malawians for fools.”

The MEC chairperson said she saw nothing wrong in her commission accepting sheets that were altered with a correction fluid, widely known for the famous brand Tipp-Ex.

She defended her commission for accepting   alteration of results sheets and the general results management system, claiming the results on the tally sheets were not altered but corrected.

“Tippex was used [for positive purposes] to correct errors,” she said.

But one of the legislators Mark Katsonga Phiri grilled Ansah whether Tippex deletes or corrects in which the MEC chairwoman said the white-out fluid “deletes” and that one cannot see what’s been deleted.

The Constitutional Court also found that less than a third of the results from the more than 5,000 polling stations had been certified by the auditors by the time Ansah declared Mutharika winner of the presidential race.

Another MEC member Mary Nkosi, who appeared before the committee on Monday, admitted that the commission mishandled the contentious elections.

Nkosi claimed Ansah went behind the commissioners’ back and authorised altered result sheets.

“I did not see the justification to this. But there was an apparent rush to have the results put together and announced,” she said. “It was a big let-down”.

The inquiry follows a February 3 2020 order of a five-judge panel of the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court that nullified the May 21 2019 presidential election over irregularities and mandated Parliament to assess the commissioners’ competences.

On Tuesday, commissioners Yahaya M’madi, Moffat Banda, Linda Kunje and Jean Mathanga appeared before the committee at Parliament Building in Lilongwe. They followed in the footsteps of Nkosi and Elvey Mtafu on Monday.

Another commissioner Rev. Killion Mgawi  was expected to appear before PAC of Parliament while commissioner Reverend Clifford Baloyi  was reportedly out of the country seeking medical attention.

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46 replies on “Ansah ‘taking Malawians for fools’, says won’t resign until appeal ruling”

  1. WHy should she resign. No MP would resign if asked to do so even if they are not performing. MP claim they represent the people now if they say people are saying Ansah should resign and she does not want the option left is to dismiss her but they are afraid that they will face serious claims hence their stupid demand that she resign.

  2. WAWA,DON’T BE STUPID.I MUST THINK THAT YOU HAVE LOST YOUR BRAINS AND HUMANITY. IT IS A SHAMELESS LIES TO TELL MALAWIANS THAT JANE ANSAH IS THE STRONGEST WOMAN MALAWI HAS EVER HAD.WAWA,HAVE YOU RED THE HISTORY OF MALAWI TO WRITE BULLSHIT AND LIES TO MALAWIANS? IAM SURE THAT YOU NEVER RED THE HISTORY OF ROSE CHIWAMBO WHO DEFIED THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENT TROOPS ON 3RD MARCH 1959 WHEN SHE JOINED FELLOW MALAWIANS TO PROTEST AGAINST COLONIALISM AND IMPERIALISM WHILE SHE WAS SIX MONTHS PREGNAT AND ENDED UP INPRISON WHERE SHE REMAINED FOR TEN MONTHS BEFORE SHE WAS SET FREE WITH A YOUNG BABY.ANSA IS A LOST SHEEP.

  4. Jane ANSAH is the strongest woman Malawi has ever had. Intelligent, thoughtful and well educated. I would recommend her to run for the presidency in 2024. Viva JANE Ansah!

    3. @Wawa
      Intelligent? There are dull people with PhD in this world. Kuloweza like parrots kumakhoza mayeso. Anyone who has been to university would agree there are academic PARROTS in this world.
      This woman sikuti santha kulankhula kokha, she isn’t just that SMART. There are people who cannot crack a joke in public or they will look stupid and dumb, Jezebel literally fails to spin around a lie, rather she is so blantant, blunt, flat and PETTY.

  5. The root cause is the illigimate president that has been left on this position. This is where this dishonourly Justice has been getting her power as both are taking Malawians for fools. Makawians should immediately take steps to remove this presidents to pave way for free and fair fresh elections

  6. It is Kasa- mbara who is taking Malawians for fools. Everyone knows he is a cfriminal and should be behind bars- o what moral stand makes him judge others? The fact is that he is out when he should be inside bars and Ansah has not gone close to what he has done

  7. Gentlemen, I wonder is PAC capable of really assessing commissioners when some of them could not even read questions

    1. The Likes of mu Lhomwe Anna Kachikho, kulephelelatu kuwelenga pomwe anawalembela mafunso…………………………. pomwe chipani china chikuwelengela amvekele tili ndi ma MP ambiri, kuwelengela ndi michila yomwe…… Malawi ali pa mpanipani ngati chigumu: pansi moto, kumwamba moto eeeeeshi!

  8. Malawians wanted to forgive her but now she must go to prison I’ve no mercy for her. Either she is under attack from the devil who is using her to siphon blood from Malawians by causing civil war, but she must know that God loves Malawi and people are praying based on Isiah7v7. The blood she wants will neva be shed. Looking from Linda Kunje and her actions, one can see these ladies are not normal at all. They are pretending to be happy, maybe they psycho.. Like. Honestly

    1. She is the Jezebel incarnate!! The more suffering and pain she causes to be inflicted upon Malawians the more satisfaction she enjoys! But thank God her days are numbered now!

  9. Being chairperson of Malawi Electoral Commission must be a very good position, such that people don’t wanna step down. In short, I am still waiting for my turn

  11. But some facts are true what she said for example the court made a ruling that it was wrong to have constituency tally centre but according to the constitutional the commision has powers to do anything which can make smooth and fairness of the elections

    1. It is illegal because parliament rejected to pass the act in 2018 that also contained 50%+1. The DPP led parliament did not foresee the consequences because by then MEC already had started implementing some of the sections of the bill that was sent to parliament to be passed into law. The 50%+1 section was easy to be dropped by MEC when the bill was rejected while the issue of constituency tally centres was already in full swing and could not be easily reversed..

  12. Supreme Court Jane Ansah has proved to be one of the useless and irresponsible judges, contributing to the rot in the Judicial System in Malawi that ACB Director pointed at.She lacks a professional independent mind, reading between the lines one can conclude that she has a strong link and bond with President Peter Muthalika and DPP. Her defiant stand and lack of acceptance of the wrong doing in the way the May 21 elections were managed reflects exactly Peter Muthalika and DPP position.What type of Supreme Court Judge and Pastor is she who cannot appreciate that the integrity of the Presidential results were heavily compromised by use of tippex,duplicate forms and unsigned forms.What type of Supreme Court Judge is she who cannot agree with the high level of non compliance with the Constitutional provisions and Election Laws.Why type of Pastor is she who is not ashamed associated with DPP known for fraud and corruption? Already Mpinganjira is answering a bribery case on the same presidential elections she claims were free and fair.
    TO PAC AND HRDC, THIS LADY SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED YESTERDAY.LET HER BE EMPLOYED BY PETER MUTHALIKA AT NDATA FARM AS A LEGAL ADVISER.

    1. None of the commissioners will resign, their fear is to lose their dues. Nkosi said, she was advised not to in case she will be on the losing side. They would prefer to be fired and take it all.

  13. iwe Jane Jezbel Madando Ansah usandikwiyitse ndiwe mwana wakumidima. Who do you think you are??? how special are you??? do you take us malawians as your kids??? let me tell you that your days at MEC are numbered. So you want people to shed blood because of your foolishness????

    3. Cardet watch your mouth us we are approaching to 150 day to revote , wat if the government loose ? Will Jane Ansah adopt you ?

  15. This bitch is starting to annoy me. Kodi anadya zingati hule ameneyi? And she claims she is a woman of God or maybe we should say woman of gold. Mr President, fire this idiot otherwise your indecision is putting a strain on the Police service. Bwererani kwa Trump baba, tisiyireni dzikoli tikonze.

  16. kodi that that embattled drug addict still keeps commenting about politics. Basi akasutasuta Nyaope nkupanga comment. Just accept that your time is gone and you are now a house husband whilst your wife is hustling and feeding you.
    Back to this Jane Ansa h woman. Madam do what’s honourable, move on so that we move on.

  17. Shameful woman, defiantly lied using her foolish law brovado that had inconsistencies in the light of overwhelming evidence with proven irregularities by Constitutional court ( Qualitative and quantitative findings. She’s a educated foolish woman lacking integrity and moral conviction. You’re fiiiiiiirrrrreerd by us Malawians & stop eating our taxes!!!!!!

  18. I. Do agree, if we. Try to stop. Charcoal business without coming up. With alternative business for the vendors then. We won’t. Achieve any positive results. Let. Them be given some. Other ways of earning money. Which will not. Affect trees, then it van be a. Positive step.
    Grey. Mawazo
    Assoc of Emvironmtalists of Malawi
    AEMA
    0999 23 05 23

  19. quote from Nation Onine of June 25, 2019
    “Breaking her silence in an exclusive interview with multi-award winning private broadcaster Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) aired last night, she described accusations of her personal bias as unfounded and baseless.
    Ansah: I will wait for the court’s judgement
    During the interview, Ansah, a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, rejected any calls for her to resign on principle, saying she will wait for the court’s judgement on the matter to decide whether to call it quits.”

    Justice Ansah, unless you were misquoted, you asserted that you will resign after the court’s decision, so the Concourt. Were you misquoted or are you shifting the goal post? If the latter, you will never be trusted as a judge ever again or be seen as a credible chairwoman of MEC. What a way to go out!

    1. If the Malawi laws allowed appeal to the International Court of Justice, this woman would never resign until her appeal was heard and determined by the International Court, which can take years, even beyond 2024. This woman will cling to her position until doomsday!!!

  20. Sounds like a comedy if judges wont accept verdict of others, simply put we are in a banana republic

  24. Kasambara who is a fool between you and Malawians. You took us as fools by stealing our money.
    When people call you Former it means you have no teeth to bite .Kasambara asieni anthu anzeru azinena not you idiot murder. Wanting to kill Mphwiyo

    1. The issue here is not abt kasambara dnt b personal cadet kasambara is jst saying wat is supposed done by Jane ansah if she was woman of principles and trustworthy unfortunately shes not jst an arrogant person

  26. Hule lotheratu. Wasted sperm and 9 months in th womb to have a person like Jane. Unfortunately, born like a man.

  27. Just wait and see what’s next for u by fire by force uzisiyabasi zivute zitani chifukwa sitingalole kuti uyendetseso chisankho chi…

  28. Mec under jane ansah proposed the 50+1 bill in 2018, Parliament rejected it. And the concourt says nobody was duly elected under the laws because none got 50+1 and ordered amendments to existing laws.

    This seems like an attempt by the judiciary to dictate parliament proceedings. Yes, the unelected judges usurping the role of parliament simply because our parliamentarians are msce holders with cash but no brains. Right now our MPs don’t even realise they are being controlled. The concourt has no mandate to order parliamentary inquiry. Our speaker is laughable

  29. Jane ansah was far more competent than the MPs on the panel. She surrounded them and beat them. The inquiry was another mistake by the demotivated 5 concourt judges.

    2. What did you expect if you really went to school………JC/MSCE/DIPLOMA or FIRST DEGREE OR MASTERS DEGREE holder kupanga interrogate an experienced PhD holder in her profession…..ayenera kunyada kaya…ngakhale pena pake amapunthwabe ndithu!!!!

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