Malawi election chief downplays Chilima ‘rigging’ claims: Dausi says ‘its mere political tantrums’

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah has played down claims by Vice-President Saulos Chilima that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is planning to an attempt to subvert the will of the people in next year’s elections, saying the electoral process will be transparent and no room for fraudulent results.

Chilima  said when he launched his United Transformation Movement  (UTM) in Lilongwe that he is aware that government has procured a spying machine meant to record phone-call conversations through the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), saying all this was out of desperation to rig elections.

The former Chief Executive Officer for one of the country’s biggest mobile telecommunication providers,  Airtel, said said: “Machine anuwo ngati mukuti mubera mavoti mwauponda [If you think you will rig elections using the spy machine you are wasting your time]”.

But Ansah has dismissed the rigging claims, saying the electoral process will remain transparent to the very end.

“Our processes are transparent. Everyone will be allowed to witness what is happening  and it is very difficult for me to respond because I don;t knpw how that machine, if at all there is one will work,” said Ansah.

She said the remarks by Chilima are merely an allegation without objective evidence.

“As far as I am concerned, our processes are going to be transparent, everybody will witness what will happen and there is no room for anybody to tamper with polling and the results,” Ansah said.

Ansah said it will not  do anything on the rigging claims because they are merely podium politics unless an official complaint is lodged with details

Malawi government and DPP spokesman Nicholous Dausi said they h ave no plans whatsoever to rig elections as alleged.

“The allegations are baseless, fallacious and mere political tantrums,” Dausi said.

Malawian are set to go to the polls on May 21 2019 to vote in a new government.

Menawhile, the electoral body is conducting voter registration in second phase.

Speaing on Monday in Dowa District to when she visited some registration centers to monitor the vote registration exercise and appreciate the challenges being faced, Ansah took time to respond to some of the concerns people had and assured them that all the challenges are being rectified.

Ansah encouraged people with with physical disabilities to register, saying: “The physically-challenged and people with special needs have to be given priority during registration. Therefore, I am encouraging  everyone to register because it is your right and your vote counts”.

Some of the centres Ansah visited included Mkukula, Chinkhuti, Mponela 1 and 2.

The phase  two of voter registration is taking place in Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Dowa and Mchinji which started on 13 July  and is expected to wind up on 26 July

Phase three is expected start July 30 in Lilongwe Rural and City and end on 12 August .