IT gurus sabotage MCP parallel tally system, suspect ‘rigging technology’

As the  court-ordered fresh presidential election is underway, IT experts have exposed and compromised a smart monitor Android application which has been re-programmed to deliver elections results in six hours from the close of voting at parallel vote tallying (PVT) centre for the opposition coalition Tonse.

The IT gurus have revealed passwords for the android application system along with the registered phone numbers whose owners were to do the reporting. This exposure is part of a digital warfare.

However, elaborate technology system exposed was feared that it was meant to facilitate a “rigging” plan for Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM Party.

“The plan was to get election results from across the country in six hours time in order to start pressing Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to announce elections results with their torchbearer Lazarus Chakwera as the winner,” said one of the IT gurus.

“Concentration of announcement was planned to start with areas where Chakwera has a stronghold. This plan has now collapsed given the heavy compromise MCP has suffered.”

The Tonse Allaince is now panicking and failing to understand as to how the passwords, the phone numbers and the application leaked.

The exposed network involves an information feeder into what is called “the War Room” where hacking of the MEC system would be carried out.

The technicians who bursted the ill-intended technology have also warned Tonse Alliance have a backup system which will also be exposed.

The opposition has  been claiming in that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) wants to rig  the elections.

MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka Mkaka and UTM Party director of communications Joseph Chidanti Malunga confirmed that the alliance has mounted a parallel voter tally centre to enhance transparency and credibility of election results.

Counting of ballot papers will start immediately after polling closes on Tuesday. Results would be transmitted from polling centres to District  tally centres enroute to the National Tally Centre at College of Medicine Sports Complex in Blantyre.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Chifundo Kachale appealed against pressuring MEC to release results, saying the commission has eight days to announce.

He said some presiding officers in parts of Lilongwe Rural yesterday turned down the job at the last minute, but have since been replaced by others who were on stand-by.

The winning presidential candidate and running mate will become the country’s President and Vice-President.