Malawi army rejects power seizure: ‘Soldiers to protect Constitutional order’
Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has categorically denied that the military is having an appetite to seize power, following last week’s election impasse.
The army issued the statement made available to Nyasa Times on Monday following speculation going viral on social media that the solider were plotting a take over as the circus that has become of Malawi’s May 20 Tripartite Elections continues.
The MDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Francis Kakhuta Banda said strongly dispelled the speculations of any military takeover and said that these are misleading.
Lieutenant Banda said the army has and will continue to support the democratic process in the country and that they are fully cognisant of the constitutional obligations and responsibilities.
Banda says speculation that army are plotting to take over power are “unfortunate and must be disregarded”
“We will neither take over the rule of Republic of Malawi not influence any political decision on the Republic of Malawi,” reads the statement.
MDF also said they “do not wish to interfere” with the constitutional function of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)
The army urged the public and the media to “refrain from making such allegations.”
According to the statement, the MDF “remains a neutral organisation.”
It appealed to the general public and the political parties to desist from “dragging the military into issues that have political connotations,”
The army said it recognises that Malawi is govern by civilian and not a military authority and pledged to “protect and uphold the Constitutional order in the Republic of Malawi.”
Meanwhile, MEC and political parties have agreed to vary the court orders to allow a recount in areas where blatant irregularities were reported.
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