LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Tension engulfed the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) headquarters in Lilongwe on Friday morning after Fiscal Police officers stormed the building while commissioners were in a meeting.
About 11 officers were seen at the premises, according to staff members.
The sudden presence created a sense of fear and uncertainty, with some employees leaving the building early because they did not know the purpose of the operation.
Attorney General Frank Mbeta confirmed the raid, saying it was linked to ongoing investigations.
“Fiscal Police are conducting investigations into the financial mismanagement and abuse revealed by the audit report. They were at MEC as part of those investigations,” Mbeta said.
Both MEC and Police had not responded to inquiries by press time.
The operation comes as MEC is already grappling with a separate legal and financial crisis.
MEC warehouses were sealed earlier by court order after a landlord moved to recover accumulated unpaid rentals.
The Commission has been in arrears for a long period, and the court sanctioned the sealing to force settlement.
That dispute feeds into another standoff between MEC and government over relocation.
MEC refused to move its operations to Blantyre, arguing that as an independent constitutional body it cannot be told where to operate from.
At the same time, the Commission has asked government to settle the outstanding rentals that led to the warehouse sealing.
The developments have also drawn political attention.
The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) previously sided with MEC in court during disputes over the Commission’s decisions and independence.
MEC Chairperson Anabel Mtalimanja, whose late father John Zenus Ungapake Tembo served as MCP president, remains in office amid the scrutiny.
In further changes at the top, MEC Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mpesi has resigned.
Sources within the Commission say Chairperson Mtalimanja is also expected to resign, although no formal announcement had been made by Friday afternoon.
Despite the pressure, commissioners remained in a meeting that commenced in the morning.
No official communication had been issued on the agenda or resolutions by the time of going to press.
Stakeholders say the combination of rental arrears, the sealing of warehouses, and the audit investigation raises serious questions about MEC’s administration.
They are calling for urgent resolution to protect the credibility and independence of the electoral body.
