MEC withhold results of Malawi elections to resolve disputes: Presidential race ‘too close to call’
Malawians are still in the dark about the winner of the presidential election after Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on Friday afternoon could not provide the update on the results, saying they were resolving complaints first.
MEC chairperson Jane Ansah last update of results t showed incumbent President Peter Mutharika, the presidential candidate for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had overtaken Malawi Congress Party (MCP) torchbearer Lazarus Chakwera.
Ansah, who is a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, said the commission wants to resolve all disputes before announcing the resuls.
She said the number of complaints received from presidential, parliamentary and local government elections is 147.
“The commission met today to determine the complaints received and also tabulate results received so far. The commission received [147] complaints which the commission is reviewing,” she said.
Ansah added: “The commission will not update the results because the announcing is linked to the complaints received.”
She said MEC has so far received about 98% of the results “but we have assessed less than that.”
Earlier, Chief Elections Officer Sam Alfandika: said the presidential election is “too close to call.”
In the May 21 Tripartite Elections, MEC registered 6 859 570 voters. From the results presented, Ansah said 19 985 votes were declared null and void.
nothing but still suffering waiting for the results to be announced
Am assuming that the Parties have been given Results from the Last update 75% ? Or they have been given 100%? If they have not been given results at 100% how much time will there be between announcing Results at 100% and resolving any queries or disputes 1day? 2days or Just Hours?I think this Circus is Just a run down Time Strategy Until the 8TH day…We all know what Happens on the 8th Day…Yesterday Results were at 95 % may Parties have got them Sunganeneretu.
For seasoned observers, when MEC reported that APM had forty percent and oChakwera thirty five percent, with 75% of the votes counted, that right there sealed the fate for the latter as runner up. At that point, it is almost impossible to make up that much deficit.
BTW, word on the street is that with ca 98% counted, APM still leads by just about 6 or 7% – the gap may have widened, even if the plurality has declined.
What is left is pretty well academic.
Campaign done. Victory sealed for the better Party.
Inu mdzimvetsa, it’s not 75% of votes counted but 75% of polling centres. In terms of votes counted they have done less than 52%.
Nice tutorial, hope Mwananyanian gets it!! “Seasoned” observors would not call an election at only 75% of centers and with one candidate leading by a175,000 votes!!