ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: We Won’t Beg for Fair Elections – CFCE Roars

The Citizens for Credible Elections (CfCE) has fired a warning shot — either the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) cleans up its act, or the people will clean house themselves.

In a blunt, no-holds-barred message delivered to authorities in Blantyre on Thursday, CFCE issued a seven-day ultimatum for the immediate resignation of MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja and Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi, accusing the two of being dangerously compromised and unfit to manage a credible election.

“These two have turned MEC into a personal fiefdom, mocking every principle of transparency, accountability, and democratic fairness. We will not fold our arms and watch democracy get strangled by incompetence and arrogance,” declared Southern Region CFCE Chairperson Asabuni Phiri.

According to CFCE, MEC’s stubborn refusal to allow an independent audit of the Smartmatic-run Electoral Management System (EMS) is not just suspicious — it’s damning.

“What are they hiding? Why block an audit unless there’s something rotten in the system? This is not about procedures anymore — it’s about integrity, and MEC has none left,” Phiri fumed.

He said rejecting an audit of electoral equipment supplied by a foreign private company is a slap in the face of voters and a direct violation of the Constitution’s promise of open governance.

Phiri was unrelenting in his tone, branding the current MEC leadership as a threat to national peace, stating that unless Mtalimanja and Mpesi go, Malawians should brace for a repeat of the chaos that almost tore the country apart in the post-2019 elections.

“They must resign — or we will escalate. This is just the beginning. If they dare ignore this petition, they will see what we are truly capable of,” he warned.

The petition was delivered peacefully to the office of the Blantyre District Commissioner, under heavy police presence. However, the streets were not flooded with protesters as anticipated — a turnout CFCE blamed on last-minute interference by authorities and politically-motivated sabotage.

While Blantyre’s march remained calm, CFCE confirmed that demonstrations in Lilongwe saw some property damage, pointing to growing frustration across the regions.

Yet MEC remains mute, offering no official response, fueling even more speculation that the institution is digging in rather than addressing genuine concerns.

“We are speaking not for ourselves, but for millions of Malawians who are sick and tired of being taken for fools by a commission that answers to nobody,” said Phiri.

The writing is on the wall: public trust in MEC is eroding fast. And with the 2025 elections approaching, the risk of unrest is no longer theoretical — it’s imminent.

For now, CFCE says it will wait the seven days. After that, all bets are off.

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