Victoria Milanzi
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has been established that the aspiring of leading opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency in Mangochi is behind the display of the voter certificates as he took pictures and circulated them on social media.
This follows the outcome of the investigation conducted regarding the voter certificates that were allegedly abandoned in Mangochi during the voter verification period.
MEC has also revealed that during interrogation, the temporary staff said that he wanted to handover the certificates to MEC staff during retrieval after voter verification in Lilongwe but forgot and proceeded with them to Mangochi where he was posted to Thema 1 School.
“The head teacher, who worked as a supervisor during the voter verification exercise, took the voter certificates to a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) campaign director and later to an aspiring MP for the constituency instead of informing the Commission, the District Commissioner or the Police”, it further reveled.
According to the investigation cit has been revealed that voter registration certificates are for Mlare School in Lilongwe Msinja North Constituency but were found at Thema 1 School in Mangochi at the end of voter verification exercise by a temporary voter registration staff.
The investigation has also indicated that temporary staff in question was erroneously printing the voter certificates for every person who came for voter verification which was against clear instructions that printing should only be done for replacement of lost certificates.
“MEC records show that a total of 821 voters came to verify their details during the voter verification exercise at Mlare School,” reveled the investigation.
The investigation has further highlighted that after the voter verification exercise in Mangochi, the temporary staff forgot the envelope alongside other personal effects in the room he was sleeping at the school.
It has also been revealed that the envelope and the personal effects were found by pupils attending extra lessons at the school who handed them over to the head teacher.
Meanwhile the temporary staff is still under police interrogation to establish if there was any ill motive for his action.
MEC has however stated that it will organise a stakeholders meeting at Mlare School to explain to the voters at the centre what happened and also assure them that their voter registration details are safe and intact.
During the meeting the Commission will also show the voters register for the centre and the permanent records for the centre.
The voter certificates found in Mangochi will be kept in safe custody by the MEC and be destroyed in full view of the public when the matter is closed.
MEC will no longer involve the head teacher at Thema 1 School in subsequent electoral activities because he behaved irresponsibility and showed politically compromised conduct.
The temporary staff has been withdrawn from MEC ongoing voter verification for purposes of further interrogation by the Police.
