MEC says no official broadcaster for Malawi poll announcement

February 15, 2019 Elijah Phimbi - Nyasa Times 11 Comments

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says there will be no official broadcaster for the announcement of the highly contentious May 21 polls as has been the case in the past elections.

MEC chairperson, Dr. Jane Ansah SC: No official broadcaster for elections
MEC chairperson Jane Ansah said the media in Malawi has improved tremendously that the pollster does not need to control one broadcaster for the announcement of the poll results.
“The Commission has considered that the broadcast industry has undergone some transformation
in the past years and the reasons that warranted the issue of official broadcaster no longer exist” said Ansah during a National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF) held at Crossroads Hotel in the Capital Lilongwe.
She said the commission has the capacity to announce the results on their own.
In the past, MEC engaged the state controlled Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) as the official broadcaster of poll results until people complained that it was biased towards the ruling party.
In 2014, MEC engaged privately owned Zodiak as the official broadcaster and did a good work but MEC might have come under intense pressure from the government to abandon Zodiak.

Ansah, however, advised stakeholders that during polling and results management this year, they should only regard as official announcement of results on various media channels presented by a MEC Commissioner or official.

The commission has further resolved that only candidates and political parties contesting the election will have their representatives accredited as  monitors in various polling centres across the country.

“The rest will fall under the observer category. To facilitate this process, the Commission is appealing to all parties and candidates to submit names of the polling centre monitors to the MEC offices stationed at  the DC offices throughout the country” Justice Ansah said.

Ansah has also said MEC is in the process of identifying a printer for ballot papers.

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11 replies on “MEC says no official broadcaster for Malawi poll announcement”

    1. Ayi man werenganinso nkhaniyi. Akuti 2014 nthawi imene Peter anakhla President oulutsa nkhani za chisankho anali a Zodiak, ndipo olemba nkhaniyi akuti zzodiak inagwira ntchito yake bwino. Tsono inu amene mukuti amalengedza zabodzawo ndi ndani, popeza wolemba nkhaniyu wayamikila zodiak?

  6. Jane Ansah must know that her tactics will not work. Developed countries like the UK and the US still use the media to announce unofficial election results for the purposes of transparency. So what is her argument here? Is she suggesting that electoral bodies in the UK and US are not capable that they allow media organisations to inform the puplic how parties or candidates are doing in the polls? MEC has been threatened by the power that be to avoid embarrassment. Now it’s time for Chakwera, Chilima, Atupele and JB to show to us that they are ready to form the next government by challenging this silly decision by MEC in the court of law., otherwise this woman must pack up and go to Ghana where her husband came from.

    1. My friend you were on a right path until you mentioned that otherwise this woman must pack up and go to a particular country where her hasband came from.

    2. But I also agree with MEC. Let them leave the announcing part open to all radio stations as I believe choosing one radio station would make some parties start bribing that radio station. We want to see the truth.

      In 2014 we saw the announcer crying while announcing which was a clear indication that he was unjust. Kulengeza zabodza mpaka munthu kulira kutuluka misozi ndi mamina kuzivera chisoni coz chilungamo amachidziwa kuti zomwe amalengezazo zinali zabodza.

  7. Candidate A
    MBC: 345 votes
    Zdk: 178
    Times: 532
    Maziko: 173

    MEC on loud speaker: 45

    I can foresee total confusion in this.
    MEC, reconsider on this

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