Chakwera says MCP to use MPs, councillors to monitor fresh elections

Opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential hopeful Lazarus Chakwera has said the party will deploy its members of parliament  (MPs) and councillors  in the 5002 polling centres nationwide to lead the monitoring team of the  forthcoming fresh presidential elections.

Chakwera, who came second in the  presidential race that was nullified by court,  said the party will include MPs and councillors to avoid mistakes that occurred during the May  21 2019 Tripartite Elections.

The MCP leader claims he won the presidential race, after beating President Peter Mutharika by 82 212 votes.

“We will use everybody who is available. We will use councillors and MPs. We want to have monitors at every level,” said Chakwera in quotes reported by The Nation daily newspaper of Monday.

“Our aim is to correct mistakes which were there in the previous elections.”

During the presidential election petition case in the Constitution Court,   MCP’s key witnesses, Peter Lackson,  claimed that Chakwera  polled 1 955 901 votes against Mutharika’s 1 873 689, according to the party’s parallel national tally centre.

MCP  has established a computer-based results management platform, which was designed to collect results throughout the country using software which would upload the results directly into their system in conjunction with phone calls and hand delivered results of Form 66C.

But, according to results released by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) —Mutharika won the race by 1 940 709 votes, trailed by Chakwera with 1 781 740 votes—a difference of 158 969 votes.

The electoral body placed UTM president Saulos  Chilima on third position, with 1 018 369 votes—a margin of 6 225 lower votes going by what MCP  claimed  in court using their parallel national tally centre.

The Constitution Court  nullified  the results of the May 21 Presidential Election  and ordered MEC to organise and conduct a fresh Presidential Election  by July 3.