MEC tells by-election candidates, parties to engage literate monitors

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has told political parties and aspiring candidates for November 5 by-elections to engage literate monitors with good numeracy and comprehension skills.

The Commission will conduct by-elections in Lilongwe South Constituency; and Matenje Ward in Kasungu North West Constituency.

The electoral body postponed parliamentary elections in Lilongwe South Constituency following the death of one of the candidates in the run-up to the 21st May Tripartite Elections.

The Commission had initially planned to conduct a by-election in this constituency on 9th July 2019. However, this was put on hold due to lack of funding.

MEC Chief Elections Office Sam Alfandika has since requested all political parties, aspiring candidates and civil society organizations wishing to monitor or observe the exercise to submit names of their monitors and observers to the respective MEC District Offices by October 8.

“Names should be submitted using form REG.014 which can be obtained from the Constituency Returning Officer or District Commissioners’ offices. The form can also be downloaded from MEC website www.mec.org.mw,” said Alfandika.

He added that each political party, candidate or civil society organization will be allowed to have a maximum of two monitors or observers per centre at a time for voter registration and that the list of centres is available from the Constituency Returning Office or the District Commissioner’s office.

“For polling every political party, independent candidate or civil society organisations shall be allowed up to two monitors per stream and up to four roving monitors per constituency or ward.

“The Commission is urging stakeholders to identify literate monitors with good numeracy and comprehension skills and from the vicinity of the centres so that they can assist in identifying eligible registrants,” said Alfandika.

The Commission is scheduled to hold stakeholders meeting on October 3.

This comes at time when opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM) are challenging the May 21 Presidential polls, which they believe they were marred by irregularities.

Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima, leaders of MCP and UTM, respectively, claim that the polls were rigged in favour of Mutharika who was declared winner with 38 percent.

Results MEC announced show that Chakwera trailed Mutharika with 35 percent while Chilima finished third with 20 percent of the votes.

They both went to court seeking nullification of the results. In the case, MEC is the second respondent while President Peter Mutharika is the first respondent to a joint petition from two presidential candidates with Chilima and Chakwera as first petitioner and second petitioner, respectively.

The case is being heard by a  Constitutional Court of  five-judge panel in High Court in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital.

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