MEC to hold auction of electoral materials

Under fire Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has announced that it will hold a public auctioning of old electoral materials.

According to a statement released by the Commission signed by its Chief Elections Officer Sam Alufandika, the boarding off of obsolete and old materials including accident-damaged vehicles will be held on 10th July, 2019.

The items include old batteries, used tyres, cameras, printers, lamps, torches, tapes, tripod stands and memory cards for cameras.

“Before the auction, the general public and all interested stakeholders are invited to a viewing session of the items on 27th June, 2019 at the MEC head office in Blantyre and MEC Regional Office in Lilongwe,” reads the statement.

The statement however assures all Malawians that none of the materials to be auctioned are part and parcel of the materials that were used during the recent controversial 21st May Tripartite General Elections.

“MEC is assuring all stakeholders that none of these materials was used in 2019 Tripartite Elections and, therefore, not in any way connected to the evidence to be tendered in court in the ongoing elections case,” the statement reads.

“Stakeholders should also be informed that, in accordance with section 119 of Parliamentary and Presidential Election Act, the MEC already deposited with the Clerk of Parliament all records for the 2019 Tripartite General Elections,” adds the statement.

The development comes as the battle on calling for the recount of the May 21st elections continues.

Opposition parties MCP and UTM are calling for the nullification of the elections which they claim were marred with several irregularities.

Meanwhile, the opposition won the first round of the case on 21st June when constitutional court threw away Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP’s) President Arthur Peter Mutharika request to throw out the electoral case.