Malawi towards anarchy as fresh protests held up to State residences
Thousands of people gathered in the capital Lilongwe, commercial city of Blantyre and nationwide on Thursday to demonstrate and make fresh calls for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC\0 chairperson Jane Ansah to resign over alleged electoral fraud since President Peter Mutharika’s May re-election.
The marchers in Lilongwe, who were joined by UTM Party president Saulos Chilima, headed towards Kamuzu Palace – official residence of President Peter Mutharika- to present the petition to remove Ansah, a judge of Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, as MEC chair.
The protesters accuse Ansah of fraud in declaring Mutharika the winner of the May election with 38 percent of the vote.
Speaking before the start of the march in Lilongwe, Chilima cautioned protestors against damaging property.
“This is a peaceful protests. All we want is for Jane Ansah to step down,” he said.
He led the crowds into singing a song “Dzikoli ndi lathu, koma Jane Ansah waononga!”
Chilima said they will not relent until Ansah resigns.
Runners-up Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM’s Chilima are challenging the election results in court, alleging ballot-stuffing and the use of Tipp-Ex correction fluid to change votes.
Timothy Mtambo, chairperson of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) which organised the protests, said besides protesting to force Ansah to resign, HRDC will engage other gears to ensure she resigns.
He said they will write the chairperson of Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC) to consider removing Ansah from the position in line with Section 75 of the Constitution which gives the committees powers to appoint and remove officers in and from positions they are confirmed on.
One of the HRDC members Solomon Ndalama Phiri said they will present the petition to the President or his representative at a distance of 100 metres away from Kamuzu Palace as required by the law.
He said the same will happen in all State Residences and where there is none, the petition will be presented to the district commissioner.
MCP’s Chakwera joined protestors in Blantyre who marched to Sanjika Palace.
Political analyst Vincent Kondowe told VOA that with continued protests and no dialogue, Malawi will head toward anarchy.
Kondowe said President Mutharika, Chakwera, and Chilima need to reach a compromise.
“Even if the court came in today and said, ‘well, the elections were conducted in a proper manner’, the political disagreements will continue. So, for me the best way is for the leaders to agree to have a re-run because even Peter Mutharika himself agrees that the elections were messed up. He has been speaking this in different political rallies that he has conducted,” he said.
But Malawi authorities have dismissed re-running the election.
The Malawi Law Society (MLS) recently asked embattled MEC chairperson Ansah to “deeply reflect on the value of remaining in office” when her stay seems to be a cause for social disruption and political unrest.
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Jane Ansah will be a credible wutness for the opposition. She has already given testimony on .how she had no control over pollig operations hence the use of tippex.
Not to be out done on asserting the use of tippex., MEC provided exhibit A showing tippex changes in areas where Chakwera won. She is very helpful that way. Protesters shiuld ask for a re-run of the elections. Once that goal is achieved, then decide who to replace the MEC chair.
Malawi has no ruling party and Malawi has no president. How can a president have a face like chimfiti? Tipex ali thoooooooooo! mmaso
All you protesting are Idiots!! Bad losers. Accept gracefully that you lost and your turn will come. Idiots
Kondowe ndiwe chitsulu ….yu think Peter ndi opusa ?dikilani a court akazangoti chisankho chinayenda bwino tione ngati muzapitilize mukuchitazi…tikungodikira atiuze shoot to kill tithana nanu
ifeyo ndye tikusiyani. opusa iwe eti
wopusadi ameneyo chitsiru chomwa madzi ometera
Thinking of an EMBICILE. Unamvako dziko where a gun silence mtundu wa anthu?. Mfuti imakoledzera ziwawa ngati simukuziwa.
Kuti Malawi ayake moto apa ndi mfuti ukudzitama nayo iyo sungayigwire ntchito? Wangokhala mfiti ndi anthu ozikonda, ozikundikira a DPP. Just last month Sudan military government tried to silence rioting people in the streets they miserably failed. They killed a dozen people but it backfired, they went back to the negotiating table.
So use your head to THINK not just to STEAL taxpayer’s money.
Chinayenda bwino with tippex? Koma iwenso kkkkk
Peter akudziwa kuti Ansa tikangomuchotsa, nayenso wawutali akalime tea
DPP ili m’madzi, tikuonetsani ndipo muziwanso agalu inu.Mumayesa ngati amalawi ndiopusa tikamangoyang’anara katangale wanuyu eti?.Fuck!!!!….
Useless demonstrations done by nothing-doers including a jobless ex-VP.
Our Leaders ruling party are just too soft and quite, because of this, thugs and Rascals will continue to destroy Malawians slowly. What is happening are not demonstrations but anarchy. We need the Law to take its course, also our security organs should not fight to be called abwino, but look at the future of their Children and brothers, they can do more to put a stop to this. Leaders of the Demonstrations have taken aboard hatred,regionalism, Tribalism and Jelousy tendencies, hiding them under strikes. We have property to protect, infrastructure, freedom to run businesses and freedom to live a… Read more »
embarrassing!
Mukamati Authorities akuti re run siingatheke mukunena ndani? Ma election anatheka bwanji? Zimenezo ndizomwe anthu tikudana nazo kupangitsa zinthu osathekazo.Chilichonse chotheka,kuchotsa anthu anaba pa mpando zothekanso and zisankho kuchitika zothekanso.
Kodi wakutha ntchito ndi Jane Ansah yekha oti azimukakamira.