Malawi Electoral Commission beefs up legal team, resumes collection of sworn statements

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it has beefed up its legal team as on Friday it resumed collection of sworn statements for the landmark presidential poll case.

MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa said the pollster has hired more lawyers to meet the five-day deadline the Constitutional Court has given as extension time for the exercise.

“We know that this is a mammoth exercise but we will overcome it with the increase of the number of lawyers and support staff,” said Mwafulirwa.

In a statement released by the chief elections officer Sam Alufandika, MEC says the statements which the pollster wants to get will be collected from those presiding officers whose results are being contested in court.

“The commission is informing the public that this is not an election issue but a court process. As such, the commission’s lawyers have the right to consult with the witnesses with full confidentiality and in the absence of third parties,” says the MEC statement.

MEC therefore says no uninvited person will be allowed to be present or interfere with the process, saying any attempt will be considered as an interference with the court process and they will be deemed to be in contempt of court.

The pollster says it has since asked the police to provide security, saying in the event that the law enforcers are not able to do so, they should seek assistance from Malawi Defence Force soldiers.

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