By Steven Godfrey Mkweteza
The Malawi electoral support network{MESN} have joined other electoral stakeholders describing the just ended tripartite elections as free, fair and credible as compared to 2014 polls.
Speaking to the media today in Blantyre during the dissemination of the parallel Voter Tabulation {PVT} verification results, the executive director for the network Steve Duwa, however, said the polls could have been much better if the country implemented the electoral reforms as was recommended by the Malawi law commission.
“Our parallel voter tabulation observers that we sent across the country during the elections, verified that the elections were free, fair and credible with some notable improvements in irregularities as compared to the 2014 polls,” said Duwa.
“However, if we had implemented the electoral laws then we couldn’t have encountered the problems that led to the standstill.”
Among others, Duwa said their 907 observers reported no cases of manipulation or rigging, improvements in logistics, voter apathy and procedural electoral process.
Duwa, who described the polls as a history in the making when considering the tie, defended their results as in tandem with the MEC results.
“The PVT estimates are consistent with the MEC’s official results and therefore, the PVT can independently verify that the official results for presidential election as announced by MEC reflect ballots cast and counted at polling streams.
“While PVT does not provide evidence that the presidential results have been manipulated, the data results cannot definitely determine the order for the two leading candidates because of the overlap in the estimated ranges,” Said Duwa
According to him, his network had already the results of the polls on the second day of polling, but could be a violation of the electoral laws to announce them before the Malawi electoral commission as an official electoral manager.
Duwa, who also described his network as credible and non-partisan, advised the new administration to implement the electoral reforms in a bid to do away with the irregularities for the next elections to be successful. The 50+1 electoral reforms was defeated in parliament in 2017.
On his part, the UNDP resident representative Jose Marie Torres described the polls as a transparent and inclusive with some room for improvement.
She mentioned the increased numbers of women winners, peace, domestic logistical support and turn out as some of the success story about the polls as compared to 2014.
The Malawi electoral support network {MESN} comprises 27 non-governmental and faith based organizations in Malawi.
It was established in 2003 to facilitate coordination among civil society organizations engaged in election monitoring, civic and voter education in Malawi and a platform dialogue, advocacy and lobbying on electoral matters.
Comments
One response to “Mesn throws weight on Malawi’s May 21 polls results”
Mesn guys are a bunch of boot lickers… how can you do sampling on elections? Samplimg only 800 centres out 5000 centres and then you say your results are the same as those released by MEC? Dont cheat people here you were sent to do it and its a network that you joined without knowing. MEC messed up these elections and Jane ansa knows it…. she will one day answer when her conscious will be back after seing how Malawians she has sold during this week to the vampire adminstration suffer.
My word to Jane answer is that you should know, may be you did not know that there is a natural force that keeps the earth revolving around the sun and rotating for you to see day and night. The source of that force is greater than your greedy desire for money that you have sold us Malawians for money that you will eat alone with your daughter.
Let the natural force that keeps you stand on this earth handle you well…