Opposition question Ansah resignation timing ahead of Malawi fresh election

Major opposition parties have lukewarmly welcomed the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah, saying it is ill timed as Malawians are expected to go into polls on June 23 to select a new State president in the fresh elections.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said the party is not at all excited with the resignation.

“We are not excited with the resignation. We know that the elections were managed by the whole commission not one person. The whole commission must go,” he said.

UTM publicist Joseph Chidanti Malunga questioned the timing of the resignation, saying it could be a sabotage to derail the Constitutional Court sanctioned presidential election.

“The Supreme Court ruling was done long ago, why didn’t she resign that time? We have several question marks,” said Malunga.

All the MEC commissioners contract ends on June 5, 2020.

Ansah’s resignation has come after the Malawi constitutional court in February upheld the opposition leaders’ petition and nullified the May 2019 presidential election results on grounds of irregularities including manual alterations and use of tippex on the results sheets to change the figures.

Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal this month upheld the lower court’s decision and faulted the commissioners for mismanaging the 2019 presidential election.

Political commentators and activists are asking President Peter Mutharika to appoint new commissioners for the sake of credibility during the next presidential election.