HRDC announces new round of anti-Ansah demonstrations

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Timothy Mtambo has said  the  anti-Jane Ansah vigils will continue next week Tuesday and Friday  to demand the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson.

Mtambo told a news conference in Lilongwe that they will not relent to push for Ansah’s ouster.

He said they have done postmortem of last week’s protests in the wake of violence and looting that took place.

HRCD boss said the new round of protests will be peaceful and urged law enforcers to deal with some criminal elements which may infiltrate the protesters  .

“We will mobilise the people to be back on the streets exercising our rights peacefully,” said HRCD  boss.

Mtambo said concerned citizens will not be cowered into accepting an incompetent electoral commission.

Mutharika said during the events to mark the country’s 55th anniversary of independence  last week that the violence  during the first protests on June 20  and then on July 4 and 5 2019,  was “calculated to turn Malawi into a lawless state”.

“They want to create lawlessness so that they can take over this government. But they will only take this government over my dead body,” he said.

But HRDC has  rejected allegations of trying to topple the government.

Opposition leaders say the result of the May poll was rigged, and they are demanding that election organisers be sacked.

MEC declared President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) winner of the presidential race in the May 21 Tripartite Elections with 1 940 709 votes or 38.57 percent. He was trailed by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera with 1 781 740 votes (35.41 percent) while Chilima came third with 1 018 369 votes or 20.24 percent.