MEC demands strict observance of covid-19 measures at Mount Soche

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has today set the standards as they refused to start receiving nomination papers from presidential hopefuls in the forthcoming fresh presidential election due to failure to adhere to covid-19 preventive measures by MCP-UTM alliance supporters.

The programme by Mec indicates that MCP president Lazarus Chakwera, whose party is in an electoral alliance  with UTM, was expected to present his nomination papers today at 9 a.m. but the programme delayed with almost an hour following the MEC’s refusal to preside over the function due to congestion in Njamba room at the Mount Soche Hotel.

Reacting to the MEC’s conduct, officials of both UTM and MCP asked their supporters to comply with the rules.

They, however, asked the electoral body to do the same tomorrow when the President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will be presenting his papers.

On February 3, this year, the Constitutional Court nullified the May 21, 2019 presidential poll results citing widespread irregularities which characterized the election.

Maneno Chimulala

I am a journalist, educator, and activist with passion for telling stories about social justice, sports and political issues. I graduated from Mzuzu University. I started my career at the Maravi Post online publication in 2012 as an intern while in college. Upon graduating from Mzuzu University I was offered a job as Sports Reporter because of my background as a goalkeeper and rose to the position of sub editor. I also had a short stint with Nyasatimes, Malawi Punch and Malawi Digest. Over the past seven years, I have worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Malawi on human rights, girl child education and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in education, I also volunteer as male champion for girls’ education under Girls Empowerment Networks (GENET) in Malawi’s South West Education Division (SWED).