MEC says DPP, MCP  file complaints: Police faults vigilantism in Malawi fresh elections

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Dr Chifundo Kachale has said Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have filed complaints.

Kachale said all complaints will be dealt with accordingly.

He said MEC has set up a Legal Affairs Committee to deal with filing and assessing each and every complaint so that the Commission can determined on them.

Kachale, a judge at the High Court, said the legal committee led by MEC’s head of legal services, has abou 10 lawyers from Ministry of Justice chambers who will help the Commission in summarising the complaints and submitting them to the Commission for determination.

“The determinations will be made by the Commission,” said Kachale.

He added: “The Complaints will be handled and resolved in accordance with the provisions of the law. The Commission will at the beginning of the determination of the national result deal will all matters that have been subject to complaints.

“It is expected that only those complaints that will not have been
resolved at the Polling Stations or at the District Tally Centre will be
dealt with by the Commission at the commencement of the
determination of the national results.”

He said MEC will not entertain complaints filed on social media but adviced all stakeholders to file their complaints through the Commission’s official channels

DPP’s complaint seen by Nyasa Times filed by party’s administrative secretary Francis Mphepo is about violence and intimidation allegedly perpetrated by suspected MCP and UTM alliance agents in Dowa and Lilongwe districts.

In the letter to MEC,  the DPP said the opposition cadres have demolished two houses to the supporters of DPP in the areas of  Sandulizemi in Senior Chief Kaembe and Mndolera in Senior Chief Dzoole in Dowa.

It also claims that a group of Nyau assaulted a DPP supporter and inflicted various injuries on him bu cutting his thigh with pangas because he was ging to vote for President Peter Mutharika.

The DPP supporter has been hospitalised at Dowa District Hospital.

DPP accused MCP-UTM alliance that their violence is “premediated and carefully planned.”

Meanwhile,  Deputy Commissioner of Police Noel Kayira has faulted the tendency of vigilantism and mob justice,  saying  that security teams are still monitoring the situation in the country.

Kayira said the tendency of vigilantism and mob justice destroy evidence and undermine law enforcement agencies’ capacity to investigate violations of electoral laws.

On social media, Kayira won hearts for his  flair of English communication and stating unequivocally the security forces’ readiness to deal with impunity in a no-nonsense manner.

Some 6.8 million people were eligible to vote in Tuesday’s rerun, practically a two-horse race between President Peter Mutharika and opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera. A third candidate, Peter Kuwani, was also in the running.