We’ll make Malawi ungovernable: MCP demands electoral reforms or ‘Muthariks must resign’
Main opposition Malawi Congress Party has threatend to the country “ungovernable” if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government fails to bring an Electoral Reforms Bill in Parliament next month.
African Union (AU) Election Observation Mission Report for 2014 elections specifically recommended, among other things, the review of the current electoral system to ensure that the country’s President is elected by popular vote.
The mission also called for the amendment of the electoral laws to further strengthen Malawi Electiral Commission’s powers to monitor internal party democracy saying; “for instance, the post-election standoff over the results would perhaps have been avoided if a second round of the vote would have been necessitated under a 50%+1 electoral system.”
But President Peter Mutharika is on record urging the electoral body to resist the temptation to push for changes as a response to sectoral complaints “s as opposed to a real and genuine national concern.”
MCP, however, has demanded government to bring to parliament an Electoral Reforms Bill next month, threatening to make the country “ungovernable” in a peaceful way if the Mutharika administration frustrates the electoral reforms.
“We are demanding that government should bring to Parliament all relevant electoral reforsm Bills and if government is not ready, the President must resign or we will call for civil disobedience,” MCP spokesman Alekeni Menyani is quoted in The Nation newspaper of Friday as saying.
Menyani also said MEC should relocate its headquarters to the capital Lilongwe and that MEC officials at constituency polling centres to announce the results of their constituency to the whole nation live from the same centres where they are counted and signed for by all parties in the presence of observers to do away with the errors and manipulations that creep into the tally sheets as they travel long distances to reach the national tally centre.
He said the electoral reforms, including a 50-plus-one electoral system of electing a President.
In the May 2014 Tripartite Elections, Mutharika won the presidential election with 36 percent of the votes cast while MCP’s Rev Lazarous Chakwera came second with 27 percent.
If Malawi had a 50-plus-one electoral system, there would have been a rerun of the presidential election after May 20 2014.
Chakwera is on record saying that his party would table a private members’ bill if government fails to bring to Parliament an amendment to electoral laws .
Boniface Dulani (PhD), a political science lecturer at Chancellor College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi (Unima), noted that the electoral reforms have delayed and expressed the hope that “all the parties including the ruling party, would support the reforms.”
Minister of Information and Communication, Malison Ndau said the electoral reforms were being handled by Malawi Law Commission and hinted that no Bill has been drafted or that parliament will deliberate the matter in November.
In their 2014 post-election reviews, various stakeholders, including MEC, Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn), National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust and Public Affairs Committee (PAC) recommended electoral reforms.
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Malawi crocodile party you are being haunted by the spirits of Jehovah’s witness. Remember there is oral and written history. You have to know that oral history is very dangerous because it is passed from one generation to another. Written history books can be banned or many people cannot have access or dont know how to read You fools you think we have forgotten what you did to us for 30 years. I tell my grandchildren beginning from the age of one year You are being haunted by the spirits of Aron Gadama Dick Matenje David Chiwanga Tuwaibu Ssngala and… Read more »
a Menyani should fight for a bill on electoral reform first. koma bill siyinayambidwe and he wants it in parliament next month? Him as a law maker should be the first to understand the process of legal reform. Chonchi these are the people whom we want to entrust with government business in 2019?
Pan “be humaine ” we need this bill in parliament Peter akutitenga ngati akapolo nthawi ya utsamunda inatha kale kale koma tikukhala movutika kuposa Kamuzu Era chonsecho we are in a demon government uyuyu sapita patali am going to bewitch him he is going to die before chrismas mark my words am consulting expert herbalist on how to deal with Chaponda , Mussa , Nankhumwa and Friends they must all die to save the nation from peril
Kondi mbulu zilemba chichewa and always criticis opposition who are just opposive the government for good of US and country Come from. These mbulizi are ignorance and are the ones who vote for wrong leaders. Abili are poor like me but dont what is right and wrong. Malawians need education in civil rights. Its not president who is wrong but followers. They know he goes They also go.
I can not imagine Malawi being ruled by DDP/APM 2019 and over how it will look like. Dont Malawians not want for a new young energic man with vision to run the nation? Napo azingongo since independence. NO Wonder Malawi is so poor.
Ine olo atandithira dumu mkamwa sindingavotere MCP!
Ubulutu nde umenewo! Anthu andale sangapange nkhanza zotelu ngakhale muntima atafuna olo kukudula ziwalo. Amangokupolamisa nakulowa kumboyo nakuuza kuti Aku ulula kwa amai akunyumba zomwe zakuchitikila akupanga zopusa 😉
Will make this country ungovernable? MCP???? So you need a Bill in parliament that is not ye drafted?? MCP Moto tsopano employing politics of ignorance at its worst
Mcp we can vote for you if you can give us power Tikugona usiku yonse opanda magetsi, pa Kamuzu, bakili,Abingu, A joycee sina ona nthawi choncho ndaki msopano magetsie ku mtima 21 hours in day,
You two fools,namely Kachipapa and Alfred Minjo,you think Malawians from other regions can keep on being ruled by idiots from the south who ascend to power through stolen votes but end up stealing from the people they are supposed to serve and worst still marginalize them? Malawi is where it is today because of a wrong electoral system that lets a candidate with support from one region become president and thereafter act carelessly by aligning himself with fellow tribesmen while disregarding citizen equality and national unity.A president of such an electoral system has continuously promoted tribalism, theft of public funds,discrimination… Read more »
We desperately need this bill or else this country will still remain a failure in many ways. MCP is only demanding the necessary direction. Ndi mbuli zokha zomwe zatseka maso on this issue.