Chakwera brands Mutharika ‘interim’ president of Malawi: ‘90 days left for him’

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera has dared President Peter Mutharika calling him an ‘interim’ president who has 90 days left to be on the seat of power unless he secures a fresh mandate in the presidential elections tentatively slated for July 2 2020.

Chakwera said this in a special address to the nation televised on Wednesday evening.

“Mutharika is an interim president, because the Constitutional Court ruling gave his presidency 150 days on February 3, so now he only has 90 days left,” said Chakwera.

He accused Mutharika that he has taken several drastic measures to avoid meeting the electorate again on July 2 – except if it is on a playing field skewed steeply to his own advantage.

“Let me be clear: no matter who Mr. Mutharika fires or hires, no matter what country he hires them from, we will not allow anyone to give him another stole victory in this country,” said Chakwera.

Mutharika won the last year’s election with only 38.5% of the vote, just ahead of Chakwera’s 35.4% but the constitutional court ruled on 3 February that his victory was unconstitutional because the constitution demanded that the president be elected by a majority, defined as 50% of the electorate plus one vote.

The court also ruled that the Malawi Electoral Commission was incompetent in its handling of the elections and ordered parliament to chart a course forward for it. The legislators said that the entire commission should be fired.

Chakwera claimed that the fresh elections are already being “manipulated.”

He said: “We cannot have a fair election if the same Commissioners who ruined last year’s elections conduct this year’s fresh elections. That’s why I have joined forces with my alliance partners to stop these Commissioners from conducting another election in this country.”

Chakwera said MEC is not the only institution of the state that is a threat against a free and fair election.

“The National Registration Bureau, the National Intelligence Bureau, ADMARC, the High Court, and the Malawi Defence Force have all been targeted by the DPP to infiltrate them and use them to rig the fresh elections and to stop our ability to stop it,” he said.

Chakwera also echoed claims by group of concerned youths in the party alleging a rigging plot.

“I have even seen evidence from highly placed sources that elements within the State House plan to spy on telephone communications between citizens during the coming campaign. So, we must all be vigilant and expose every criminal attempt to rig this election,” said Chakwera.

Chakwera in his address also urged people to resist acts of some unscrupulous individuals who are allegedly confiscating national identity cards in exchange of loans from the government.

He has called on community leaders, traditional authorities, parliamentarians and ward councillors in the country to form community security teams to respond swiftly to the acts.

“Do not wait for international donors to defend your birthright, nor should you wait for the police and the government to do it, because none of them have lifted a finger to stop this. It is we, as citizens, who must organise ourselves to defend our birthright,” he said.

Continued Chakwera: “So, from now on, everywhere these criminals arrive to offer us money in exchange for our National IDs, we must send them a clear message that our citizenship is not for sale.”

In a statement released Wednesday, Chakwera has called on community leaders, traditional authorities, parliamentarians and ward councillors in the country to form community security teams to respond swiftly to the acts.

“Do not wait for international donors to defend your birthright, nor should you wait for the police and the government to do it, because none of them have lifted a finger to stop this. It is we, as citizens, who must organise ourselves to defend our birthright,” he said.

Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communications Technology Mark Botomani, who is also government spokesperson, described the allegations as “unfounded and junk talk.”

Presidential Press Secretary Mgeme Kalilani also dismissed the rigging allegations, saying they lack substantive evidence and that opposition has always had such accusations every time the country approaches an election.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!