MEC investigates 750 Lilongwe voter’s certificates abandoned in Mangochi
While dust is settling on demand by electoral stakeholders for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to engage independent investigators to assess components of a biometric voter registration kit that went missing in Mwanza and Mzuzu, MEC says it has sent a team of fact finding mission to Mangochi after 750 voter certificates meant for Lilongwe Msinja were found in Mangochi west.
The voter certificates were found in an envelope at a primary school in Mangochi west where a verification exercise for voters had just completed on Sunday.
People who spoke to Nyasa Times at the school said a cleaner found the certificates in a class room where the voter registration was taking place.
After the cleaner handed over the envelope, they found the certificates which a serial number 134252 with names of Mlale, Bunda and constituency Lilongwe Msinja.
This has raised concern as some quarters of society think this was part f a rigging system by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
While admitting to have received the report, MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa said his institution is still carrying their investigations on the matter.
He said the commission has seen pictures of abandoned voter registration certificates circulating on social media.
“The preliminary information indicates that the certificates are for Mlare School in Lilongwe Msinja North Constituency but were found abandoned at Thema 1 School in Mangochi at the end of voter verification exercise,” Mwafulirwa said in a statement.
He said the Commission has dispatched a team to investigate the matter on the ground in Mangochi to establish the origin of the voter certificates.
“The Commission is also checking internally to establish what transpired. The Commission is also questioning all temporary and permanent staff that worked in the two centres during voter registration and verification respectively,” MEC spokesman said in a statement made available to Nyasa Times.
He said MEC has checked the voter registration records of Mlare School and the duplicate certificates for all the registrants are intact in the books whose total summary was signed off by monitors of political parties that were present during the voter registration process as attached.
“Stakeholders are assured of due diligence and commitment of the Commission to resolve this issue in collaboration with all relevant authorities and preserve the integrity of the electoral process. MEC will be updating the nation when the investigations are completed,” the statement said.
Mangochi district Nation Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust Tena Banda said he received the report on the matter.
Main opposition Malawi Congress Party spokesperson Rev. Maurice Munthali wondered if the 2019 polls will credible especially with what is happening with MEC.
“Last year the voters registration kit were found dumped in a Mozambican train, the missing of MEC computers in Mzuzu and today we are hearing this report. This tells us that MEC is failing to conduct its duties and that the polls will not be free and fair,” lamented Munthali.
During a highly-charged National Elections Consultative Forum (Necof) meeting in Lilongwe last year Novemebr, MEC officials were taken to task to explain circumstance that led to the missing of the gadget found on a train in Mozambique and a laptop computer as well as other accessories reported missing in Mzuzu.
Explanations by MEC chairperson Jane Ansah, a Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal judge, that the missing of equipment has no effect on the registration process and that there is no data lost apparently fell on deaf ears.
MEC spokesman said that Malawians should still have confidence in MEC that it will conduct a free, fair and credible election on May 21.
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I have been telling you kuti this Dpp government is rigging these votes ,musamale ndi dausi kusintidwa kwake kupita Ku home affairs , there is a very big issue happening there, Tatopa ndiulamulilo Wa nkalamba wochita kugunyuza antu akupedwa koma iyeyu akungokala without doing anything we need new blood
How many investigations will MEC carry out about their own mal-administation and what has been the outcome of such investigations so far? Stop wasting public money for this nonsense because we know the obvious.
This Ansah lady must go, her clinging to power is very fatal. When there is not exit door, we all know what will follow. Ka Malawi’ka kagawikana chifukwa cha dyera la ena. Zonse ndi nthawi basi, anzathu analakwanji? Zikudza, …
Cheap propaganda to discredit DPP and MEC. What’s the use of those cards if they are not accompanied by real fingers access the corresponding biometric files?
Heavy duty has said it all
Malawi is not ready for the elections. Ansah should do a decent thing and resign.
Why should it be DPP when we clearly know it is UTM. Chilima has challenged Chakwera, and he has even gone as far as kusanzika kwa Kauma. This is UTM field. Owen Muzafa ndi mkwiyo inu, all the time you have hate. You won’t go further in this field.
Here we go again! …….how does MEC explain this???
Nyasa times u say some quaters say its DPP plot but u have excludes that other views are saying its the opposition who wants to discredit election commosssion. what type of jaunalism is it. i always tells my journalism students to balance stories. pple will analyse ur reporting and once they find biasness they will lose trust
This is the worst Mec Malawi has ever had
Let’s make it clear, every Malawian will vote by force despite any effort by the DPP and its bed-fellow MEC to disfranchise the citizenry. We will all go to polls with or without the voter certificates
We knew this will happen.Dpp ibela mavoti the whole MEC is full of alomwe .Sitilola UTM motooooo
Stop pedaling undue tribalism in everything. Whatever is the explanation, you cannot attribute the incident to a particular tribe. For the upteenth time, I say stop the thengere logic of tribalizing the upcoming watershed elections. Pita ukasambe mutumbuka iweeeee.
Dulli, won my vote up to the third full stop of your post. Unfortunately, from the third full stop to the last full stop, u sent my vote back because you are China are of the same thinking. Your only difference is that he initiates and you follow.
Reading your post up to the third full stop was motivating.
Thanks Shaka. The next full-stop was personal to China.
Ndiye arent u also perpetrating tribalism by mentioning Tumbukas in this? Osangodzudzula munthuyo bwanji? Both of u r the same. Nosense
Dull Dulli. You wanted to pretend to be an intelligent person, but yo are not because you are just as bad as those you accuse of making tribal remarks. I am suprised that up to now people have not learnt that any idiot can write nonsense about other tribes even when he is not of theat tribe just to get people’s attention. By the way? which is an important tribe in Malawi?
kkkkk koma mulupale wakwiya kwabasi ine ayi koma ndikut mundimvetse ndikuti mulomwe sazatheka pankhani yokuba . ndifuseni ine alomwe anapita kokazigulila malo ku mangochi eeeeeee ayao anachimina ndi mchitidwe wa alomwe pankhani ya kuba mpaka anawathamangisa pano ndikunena pano alomwe omwe akanapeza malo akuvutika kusowa polima ku mulanje ,thyolo
aaaaa kulitu mcp nso a utm musaone ngati muliponokha. komansotu aDPP nawo akavota. so UTM musangadile
MEC is useless
I think its high time we stopped attributing every negative incident to DPP. What if its a work of UTM? Pajatu kuli a experience ya zimenezi.
The more Jane Ansah refuses to resign, the more the opposition will cry foul come the day for announcing the election results. This is the time the opposition block must unite and demand the immediate resignation of Ansah or else the courts should intervene through an injunction taken by the opposition to stop Ansah to function as MEC Chair. This is the only way that will bring sanity to the electoral system.
Sad development.
This is propaganda why at the same time you are saying its under invastigation and you jump into conlusion that its rigging by DPP.Nyasatimes you are discrediting yourself because of baseless stories.
You must be baseless and clueless
Ask Chilima about this,he claims to be a master planner and knows how to rig elections as he claims to have assisted DPP.He is like that,when he deals with details about them he eposes,to appear as if it is DPP.Musowanso umboni wanji apapo?
MCP as usual already getting nervous and crying that the vote has been stolen before even a vote is cast. I dont think one biometric machine planted in a train or 700 voting cards planted in Mangochi from an electorate of over 6 million voters is evidence of rigging, more like attempts to show that the vote is not trustworthy by some political operatives, or even perhaps a case of maladministration by MEC.
this only the tip of the iceberg. There are many similar undiscovered
Your brain is not as big as you claim to be BigMan – One Biometric Machine and 700 registration cards is what has been discovered. There could be a LOT more…
Snail brain
Very stupid thinking by the author to suggest that only DPP can rig.
Indeed it is stupid to always assume that these are perpetrated by DPP. Any one can do this to frustrate the system upon noticing shameful eminent loss. It can also be done by losers to justify rigging allegations and lessen the pain and humiliation they are about to suffer. It can also be attempts to discredit MEC and the general election altogether. So don’t quickly judge.
I agree with you. It can even be the work of the ruling party itself to get rid of Ansa and plant a person they can manipulate
Dear Malawians, I don’t mind which political party you belong but if we seat back and watch such malpractice undermines the integrity, unity and trust the Malawians deserve, not only here at home but even abroad. Let the winner win without rigging . I support that make chairperson, must step down if we are to win trust of the electorate
Nyasatimes is full of shit, kwachulika mbuli.
It is less than a year now to go. Try everything you can and make sure you don’t lose elections. Otherwise, you will commit suicide as your predecessors.