MCP tells DPP to ‘stop the tomfoolery’ on disputing Malawi credible elections

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has dismissed the complaint by  Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)  accusing the party  supporters of assaulting its monitors in the Central Region to prevent them from monitoring Tuesday’s fresh presidential election.

President Peter Mutharika has complained of violence in opposition strongholds in central region and questioned whether the result would be credible.

His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)  has lodged a complaint and its administrative secretary Francis Mphepo has said DPP will dispute the result if he loses.

DPP publicity secretary Nicholas Dausi alongside the party’s director of research Mark Botomani at a news conference showed reporters photographs of some DPP supporters who he said were assaulted by thugs sent by MCP.

“As we are talking, Democratic Progressive Party monitors in the areas of Kabudula, Lilongwe-Mapungu North and Lilongwe-Kasiya were abducted,” Dausi said, adding that “four girls and four boys” were missing.

He said MCP members also manhandled DPP Secretary-General Greselida Jeffrey and burglarized the home of her husband.

“The thugs went to his house,” Dausi said. “They damaged the government’s vehicle and stole almost K11 million, which was meant for DPP monitors in Salima district.”

But MCP spokesperson Maurice Munthali said the DPP assertions were laughable because there was no evidence that those attackers were members of MCP

“If anything, what we have heard … is that DPP was on it again, trying to rig the elections,” Munthali said. “DPP, if anything, would not have expected Malawians to sit idle as [they] see such nasty things happening around them.”

On his part, MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka  accused DPP of bias in reporting on the violence during Tuesday’s election.

He said: “What they are not mentioning is that our monitor was hacked in Thyolo and that Daud Suleman was beaten in Phalombe. What they are not mentioning is that our monitors in Chikwawa were chased.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police Noel Kayira said an unspecified number of people had been arrested in relation to electoral crimes and were still under police custody.

“Let me assure Malawians that the law will take its course on all those that have been arrested in relation to this election,” he said.

The   Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Dr Chifundo Kachale also commended the professionalism and joint efforts of Malawi Defence Force and Malawi Police Service in putting up a vibrant security scheme within which the polls had been managed.

In Tuesday’s  presidential poll, MCP candidate Lazarus Chakwera was the main challenger to President Peter Mutharika of the DPP in the election. The poll was a rerun of last year’s election, won by Mutharika but annulled by Malawi’s Constitutional Court because of massive irregularities.