Treasury failure to fund MEC will affect Malawi fresh poll
A governance expert has warned that Treasury failure to release money to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) for the Constitutional Court sanctioned presidential election might affect the quality and calendar of the poll.
National Integrity Platform national coordinator Jeff Kabondo has said this after MEC announced it is struggling to raise K23 billion for the smooth holding of the election expected to be on July 2.
MEC said the whole election budget is pegged at K34 billion.
“Covid-19 will always be there but this leadership issue (presidential election) has time limit on it. Government needs to solve this leadership issue first,” said Kabondo.
He said failure by the government to release the K23 billion will have a negative impact as MEC will not be able to source voting materials on time.
Government says taken a begging bowl to donors to fund a K23 billion deficit in the budget for the holding of a fresh presidential election.
Treasury spokesperson Williams Banda says the government is in contact of several development partners to top up the K23 billion.
“The government has financial constraints because other resources are being channeled towards the fight against the covid-19,” he said.
EU pulled out its K6 billion funding towards the election, citing it has diverted its funds towards the covid-19 fight and also said the fresh presidential election is illegitimate as parliament is yet to pass relevant electoral laws for the holding of the fresh election.
EU also indicated that it will not send its observer team because of the coronavirus fears.
UNDP said it does not fund elections but provides technical expertise only.
The electoral body’s spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa says the government has only released K6.6 billion out of the promised K29 billion budget for the holding of the election.
Mwafulirwa says the budget will go up to K34 billion after factoring the covid-19 fight budget within the election.
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Vote where? Malume simukumva zoti kulibe makobiri?
This is why the Supreme Court said that we should have had an interim government after the nullification of the May elections……
You cannot have the same person who is scared to death of loosing a rerun to manage and organise the same election that he is scared of……..the opposition has been taken for a ride on this.
APM will pull every lever he has in his arsenal to frustrate the upcoming elections…there so much at stake with so many potential corruption cases hanging over his head.
Money was put aside for the election during the first round of budget discussions, Why now this issue. MEC Commissioners should be fired for incompetence costing the Malawi people so much money in addition to this 34 billion they owe the opposition 9 Billion in legal fees and spent 300 million on South African Lawyers that did a video call to the Supreme Court WhatsApp would have been cheaper. To quote Jane Ashna Democracy is not Cheap. The Supreme Court the Constitution Court has ruled is this Government Law Abiding oe NOT the Election MUST PROCEED no more delaying tactics!!… Read more »
Basitu ingoperekani zanu zamuthumba.put your mouth where your money is.
@Trudy You are Blind and cannot see – we pay for Election each time we buy something each month we receive our pay they call it taxes.
The DPP Government has wasted Billions especially MEC who fought the court action the court said they are Referees not candidates they allowed fraud to happen.
Let the stupid Judges,Chakwera and Chilima find the funds!
Stupid Anshah and APM are wholly responsible for the mess for mismanaging and stealing the May 2019 elections.
“Government says taken a begging bowl to donors … the government is in contact of several development partners to top up the K23 billion.”
.
The donors assisted financially at the elections last year. Those elections were criminally and fraudulently and incompetently run by Malawians themselves. Why on earth should the donors fund this new election in order to help Malawians out of the hole which they have dug for themselves?
Government said no Donor money was used in the 2019 Election now they say cannot run the Election without Donor Assistance,
Malawi will NOT receive Donor Assistance until this Government is Voted Out because of so much corruption.
Mr. President do the RIGHT THING RESIGN
I second, Jane ansah and her colleague messed up intentionally. The money used for the court proceedings, the campaign and the election it self would have done many developments. Mayi Jane Ansah ndinu mfiti
But you had money to give Kaphale and also his bogus SA lawyers
Peter Muthalika has indeed messed up this country big time.
Yes let be like this until Jane Ansah and the Team leaves the Office, all is well and it is going according to the plan of God. You will see after the MEC team goes. The money will come not from East, West, South and North but from Malawi and from Malawians. God is on control.
Do not worry. Nature will solve the elections challenge for us: 1. One idiot will die. Soon. Very soon. 2. One chairman of MEC will be in a mental institution. Before the end of the year. 3. Covid-19……..
You are a sick mind.
Let government fund the elections. Where did they get 9billion that they spent defending a clear losable case? This is laughable after spending billions defending that carelessly managed election and pay huge legal bills now they say they do not have money to run the election. Where did they get the money to pay the lawyers? No. They have money. Donors should not fund this extravagant useless body.
power hungry kkkkkkkkk