Commentator faults MEC for fixing voter registration exercise for fresh polls

A political commentator says it is irregular for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to hold the registrar of voters exercise on March 10 without consulting political parties.

MEC says it will hold the registration exercise from March 10 in central region amid questions on the legality of the exercise after the Constitutional Court and the Public Appointments Committee of parliament found that the MEC commissioners were incompetent to handle another election.

The political commentator Humphrey Mvula said MEC should have consulted the political parties through the national elections consultative forum (Necof) meetings.

“This is the beginning of rigging process. There has never been Necof meetings to agree on this, the opposition needs to be careful,” he said.

He also said that it was illegal for the MEC commissioners to hold another election after they were disqualified by the Constitutional Court and the Public Appointments Committee.

President Peter Mutharika is yet to fire the commissioners following recommendations from the parliamentary committee.

“These commissioners are illegally holding on to their office. Even the chief executive officer Mr Sam Alufandika has been found to be incompetent, this is why parliament has appointed the clerk of parliament to handle the next election,” said Mvula.

He said the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) just wants to rig the forthcoming presidential election in the confusion it is deliberately creating.