Malawi elections to delay up to six weeks: Ballot papers in Friday
Malawi’s court-sanctioned fresh presidential elections slated for Tuesday June 23 is set to delay up to six weeks due to logistical hiccups, Nyasa Times understands as Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) will this Thursday appraise Parliament on the state of preparedness and challenges it is facing.
MEC chairperson Justice Chifundo Kachale told the National Elections Consultative Forum (Necof) in Lilongwe on Thursday the state of preparedness for the fresh presidential poll and highlighted the challenges .
Kachale said the Commission will get direction from Parliament on how the challenges can be resolved.
He said the Commission is yet to get K10 billion from Treasury to finance its operations for the forthcoming polls.
Kachale said the Commission met Treasury and Reserve Bank of Malawi officials on the matters and that the situation is not promising, which hints to further delays to the polling.
During presentation of the 2020/21 National Budget in Lilongwe last Friday, Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamveka said donors are not forth-coming to support the elections budget.
Nyasa Times understands that to resolve all the bottlenecks so that a credible election is delivered , the Commission will need to postpone the June 23 polling for up to a maximum of six weeks.
Meanwhile, Kachale told Necof that the batch of ballot papers printed in Dubai for the fresh presidential election are expected in the country on Friday through Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe.
He said 193 pallets of ballot papers will arrive monring and political parties are, therefore, invited to send their monitors to witness the receipt and warehousing process of the ballot papers.
In terms of transport logistics, Kachale says there is a shortfall of 226 trucks.
He said the Malawi Defence Force ( MDF) is yet to confirm whether it will release three helicopters for airlifting materials to remote areas.
Kachale said the military will provide security in hot spots.
The MEC Chairperson also officially announced that the College of Medicine in Blantyre will be the tally centre for the fresh presidential poll and that only 10 political party representatives will be allowed at the national tally centre.
“Vote counting will begin manually immediately when voting at polling centre closes.
After counting the results, presiding officers will paste a copy of the results at the noticeboard and send a copy of it to the district tally centre,” said Kachale.
MEC has also confirmed the three presidential candidates and their running mates.
The presidential candidates include Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika and his running mate Atupele Muluzi; Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presiden Lazarus Chakwera and his running mate Saulos Chilima as well as Mbakuwaku Movement for Development (MMD) president Peter Kuwani and his running mate Archibald Kalawang’oma.
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This article is from ‘dream land’!! Where in your dreams did you get six weeks from? It must have been a terrible nightmare of a dream!. Dream on brother, Malawi is marching on in less than three or four days!
Majaji omwewo ndi oweruza milandu, majaji omwewo akufunanso aziyendetsa boma, koma mwafatsatuu atumbuka inu. Tiyeni nazoni. Welcome to politics. One day you judges shall know what politics is. It about time.
Galu iwe wadya dollar ya DPP eti. Ine Me! ME I’m voting 23rd june. ku office nda sanzika khale… Nyekhwe yafika ! Siku ya 40 yafika
Death To DPP….. Alliance boma
Basi pitaninso ku court mukatenge injunction or mupange ma demo okakamiza kuti chifundo kachali atule pansi udindo walepheranso kuyendetsa chisankho
THEY WANT TO USE DRCs KABILA WAY OF DELAYING ELECTIONS
IF ELECTIONS ARE TO BE POSTPONED…WE HAVE TO AGREE THAT THE PRESIDENT MUST STEP DOWN FROM JULY 23RD AND THAT NO GOVT ASSETS WILL BE USED……SCALE DOWN ALL GOVT OPERATIONS EXCEPT ESSENTIALS ONLY……
NO FINANCIAL TRANSACTION SHOULD HAPPEN INVOLVING OPC AND ANY MINISTRY EXCEPT HEALTH ….AND SALARIES ONLY FOR OTHER MINISTRIES.
The election will go ahead otherwise from 24th of June we will have a government on National unity because APM will have no mandate to govern…
The DPP government has deliberately and systematically delayed all the processes to have the election done within the 150 days the courts directed.
We can not allow DPP to be in charge of the country for another 6 weeks when we have printed ballot papers within the country, unless those ballot papers are kept at the British or American embassy there is no safe place not even at th3 army barracks as the new army commander is obviously a cadet.
Last time DPP managed to set the MEC warehouse in Lilongwe on fire in full view of the police and no one has ever been arrested for it.
Six weeks from now the DPP regime if left in charge will blow the number of COVID-19 cases to scare people away from voting, we can not allow these crooks to continue taking Malawians for granted.
No president after 2 July, uyuyu nyenkhwe amangotchula, samaidziwa.
The article is wrong and does not represent what is at the meeting. The MEC chairperson said campaign ends on Sunday and how can he say that when elections are not on 23 June 2020. I cam foresee DPP symphathisers working on confusing people inorder for them not to vote on this day.
Anyway,come 2nd July old man youll not be the president.Ma court ndiye ndi awo unawaputa kalewo.
Why the hell do we need donors to raise a miserable MK10 billion for our elections? Why do you find money to pay off Mulli’s companies but you fail to find money for elections? You put money in place for Stadiums and useless loans that people will never repay and yet you cant find money for elections. You had 150 days to hold the elections and now you say you have no funds?
Mr Mwanamveka and your useless cadets at treasury and RBM, be very careful. Rivers of blood can easily flow in this town if you think you can play with people’s intentions to express their right to vote.
A Republic by the judges!! Here we are.
I knew it! nothing serious was seen as the days were closing.
Jane Ansa foresaw this and the regime change judges kept kutsutsa saying election dates must not be changed. May be the judiciary will NOW agreed with kachale on postponement because ndi mtumbuka nzawo. Rubbish kind of decision making there by the judiciary which is based entirety on ethnicity. Shame to Malawi justice.
Dpp ndiona pa 23 kwatikwana
KACHALE IS NOT A TUMBUKA BY TRIBE…
Kachale ndi Mtumbuka wa ku Ntcheu. I didn’t know Ntcheu has tumbukas as well. Koma umbuli akhonza.
Don’t say ndi ntumbuka nzawo i think you have the spirit of tribalism if we can go to that area of insulting each other things will not end well here because our country malawi is going down and down we have never had a tumbuka president wbo contributed to that downfall of our beloved country Malawi the truth is we must just be united as Malawi for the betterment of our country Malawi thanks.
For your information Kachale is not a Tumbuka. Kachale is from Zomba
All the blame goes back to Jane Ansah…… all those delays to step down were tactical, you and the stupid granny want to take Malawi to ransom, how i wish there was a governing council till we vote again, having this Mutharika thing on the throne is disgusting to say the least!
Mavuto onsewa ndi chifukwa cha boma la dpp kukakamira pa mpando. Mmalawi aliyense anauzidwa kuti pa 3 February kuti chisankho tibwereze pasananthe masiku 150. Masiku analipo okwanira kukonzekera mopanda phuma chi m’dala choukha dovuchi chikanachotsa ansah mwachangu.
Onani tsopano lero Mec ya Kachale kugwira ntchito usiku ndi usana kuti ziyende – lonselo ndi dala la dpp kuti ma irregularities omwe dpp yachita create mwakufuna kwao adzapezerepo ponenera kuti chisankho sichinayende bwino…..A dpp kusakonda dziko ndi abale anu choncho bwanji kodi? Dyera, umbombo ndi kaduka.
The intended delay of elections is caused by peter himself. Mwanaveka and kabambe are playing games deliberately. What they now is that come 150 days there will be no president in this Country and him and wife will be chased from the house built by late Kamuzu whom dpp insult on daily basis. Can dpp show us what exactly it has done in this country that Kamuzu failed. Go and sleep in the stadium and see if you can manage. Better praise what Kamuzu did and continue from there APUSI INU.mwanaveka and kabambe are denying our own taxpayers money muve inu a hlomwe.
I think this is good news. An election done in a hurry is a recipe of more court injunctions. Let us give MEC time to prepare themselves thoroughly and deliver a free and fair election to the Malawi.
They have had over four months to prepare.
Next we will hear that elections have been postponed indefinitely.
The country on autopilot. Malawian elections needing foreign donors yet we do not need them when government is compensating Mulli with MWK 22 billion ! Just borrow it back from him. He is your good guy he won’t refuse. And do it quick please tiwone zina !!
Mulli wake uti kkkk chidzukulu cha Mutharika chi aaaaah atenge cash yopakulidwapakulidwa kale Kuti ayike pa zisankho zochita kudziwikilatu Kuti DPP ili kale mu madzi hahaha you must be joking Piper. Government has money ndiponso akanafuna zikanapezeka , Mulli yemweyu ndiamene watenganso cash Ku boma yogulila zokolola Kwa alimi omwe pano akulila naye mitengo akuwabela do you blv Kuti angapeleke Za zisankho hahaha . DPP is trying all the means to stop the fresh election izi ndiye muzikhulupile.
“…court.sanctioned elections have the tendency of being problematic ,chaotic and ends up not solving the problem.,that they were intended.to solve,instead they create and add some.more problems to make.the situation more.complex and more difficult to.solve..look around world wide trends on court sanctioned elections…shame on my country…..
Bodza lenileni. MEC had more than ample time to prepare adequately, but Jane Ansah and her DPP partners did everything to frustrate the preparations. If MEC had reacted the way Parliament did after the February 3 ruling, there would have been no need for the postponement. As long as Malawi keeps rewarding errant public officers for their wrongdoing, Malawi will not make progress: APM is now being rewarded with an extended 6 weeks in power for deliberately delaying the FPE.
On the money issue, why is it so easy for the DPP Government to release MWK11 billion to Mulli and yet find it so hard to release MWK8.5 billion for the elections???? DPP is taking Malawians for a ride, the same way they have been doing for the last 6 years. And why should we beg the MDF to release the 3 helicopters? These are OUR helicopters. Does Namathanga own a helicopter? We are being taken for fools…
jane ansa waona pomwe waliyika dziko la Malawi? We need these dogs arrested for what they did. Kuvota tivota and after that awa ayankhe milandu yonseyi
Kukwiya kapena kulalata sikuphula kanthu. Just accept that elections have been postponed. Mwina muli nayo ndalama muwabweleke a
MEC.
Malawians are geared to vote on June 23. Delaying voting will only prolong sufferings we have been experiencing since 2014. Not only our suffering but also theft of our Taxes in Billions.Far more than 10 Billion kwacha will be stolen during the extended period.Do not postpone elections to save this country from further damage!!!!!!!
There is still hope for tonse alliance Why the government is not releasing the remaining funds.
I have K10 Billion can i borrow you to conduct the elections?
Nyekhwe…….
Whatever I just want the election to happen and we move on after it bcoz we already stuck at one step I don’t mind who wins the elections
Mpaka agogo azimatu. Munthu wakalamba akadapumako ku minyozo.
This is bad news
This is Malawi elections what has it to do with donors? What about the MK15 billion the RBM made? Into pockets of few people. All this puzzle is non sequitur. Deliberate ploy to delay elections. Back to court.
MEC has been busy training Presiding Officers which they were paid a k35,000 allowance the process will have to restarted. MEC has had plenty of time to arrange trucks and transport. The Ballots will arrive Friday NO REASON Election cannot be held Tuesday. 6 weeks from now will NOT SOLVE the Money Issue only creates Credibility Issues
150 days were more than enough to organize credible elections if MEC Commissioners and the 80 years old president and ever slow Pulofesa Peter Muthalika were serious and not playing hide and seek games.
Malawians are annoyed and tired to be ruled by a president who is not elected and accepted by the majority.The best way is that after expiry of the 150 days Peter Muthalika must step down and a Presidential Council must be put in place comprised of Speaker, Chief Justice amongst others.Peter Muthalika must be forced to go to Ndata, this is the only way Peter will respect the constitution and the need to hold elections.
If we are not voting June 23 then forget Tonse getting in government
kkkkkkk why? koma tisavotedi. iyaaaa
Why???? kkkkk