MEC rules out vote rigging: ‘Malawi tripartite elections will be credible’
Public election organisers and managers, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) have sharply contradicted president Peter Mutharika on possibility of vote rigging, saying with the new high-teach voting methods, no one can rig the polls.
Spokesperson for MEC Sangwani Mwafulirwa said in addition, all votes will be tallied at constituency level, will not be taken to the district commissioner’s office as was the case before giving no room for vote tampering.
This sharply contradicts what Mutharika said on Sunday in Blantyre that he has information that an opposition leader has invited foreign IT experts to plan rigging the election.
But Mwafulirwa said MEC has put in place strict measures to ensure no rigging is done at any level.
“We have certified IT experts who are ensuring that no one enters into our systems,” he said.
Mwafulirwa also said the pollster will not use computers to allow people to vote but voter registers.
“In addition, we will give every monitor results at every centre and at every constituency. If the monitors discover some disparities in the results they have and what is being announced, they should immediately lodge a complaint,” said Mwafulirwa.
United Transformation Movement (UTM) president Saulos Chilima has of late been telling people that the May 21 polls would not be rigged.
Dean of Law at Chancellor College Sunduzwayo Madise told the BBC Focus on Africa on Monday that Mutharika’s statement was just political as the May 21 highly contentious tripartite elections campaign season heats up.
He said some people had made similar allegations of vote rigging in the past elections but no tangible evidence was forthcoming.
Does Sangwani know that rigging includes violence which is what dpp and udf are doing? Pitala is the architect of violence. This old baby is not helping us. He is there to steal for his wife and children. Nanga iyeyo akadyera kuti zakubazo. Nkulu wake Casablanca anamusiya olo mwezi osagonamo. Zinazi mukamapanga just know death is around the corner to take us. I wish the wicked like APM were taken out first. His is a hazard to Malawians.
Why sharing it now u r giving them crue to strategize. Paja the president is afraid of an opposition guy trying to rig