BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has disqualified a United Democratic Front (UDF) parliamentary candidate Bakali Osman for Blantyre North East for presenting a fake Malawi School Certificate of Education.
MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa has confirmed that Osman in Blantyre presented the fake certificate to dodge a proficiency test of reading and speaking English.
“We received a complaint that Mr. Osman presented a fake MSCE certificate so we presented the certificate to Maneb who confirmed that the certificate was indeed fake,” said Mwafulirwa.
Mwafulirwa said the commission is still investigating other candidates.
“We will disqualify any candidate who flouts the laws and rules even a day before the election,” said Mwafulirwa.
The MEC publicist said there will be no substitution for the party for the disqualified candidate.
This means UDF will go into polls in Blantyre without a candidate on May 21.
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says all candidates for the May 21 tripartite elections or their representatives should take note that there will be a ballot paper template vetting exercise to run from 5th to 14th March, 2019.
According to the press release on 28 February, 2019 the Chief elections officer Harris Potani, said during the period all candidates or their representative are supposed to go to their details have come out on the ballot paper and sign for them.
“The exercise will be starting from 9:00 AM to 12 PM and the exercise will start on 5th March and it will end on 14th March, 2019,” Potani said.
Below is MEC’ full statement made available to The Maravi Post;
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is informing all candidates for the May 21 Tripartite Elections or their representatives that there will be a ballot paper template vetting exercise to run from 5th to 14th March, 2019.
During this period all candidates or their representatives are asked to go to their respective district, city or municipality council offices to inspect how their details have come out on the ballot paper and sign for them.
The exercise will be running strictly from 9.00AM to 12PM and the full schedule is as follows:
All candidates that wish to amend their details on the ballot paper are advised to bring supporting documentation like the national ID, passport and marriage certificates in case of names. For those that claim that their names on their National ID are incorrect they must bring proof of their application for change of name with NRB and a letter from NRB supporting this application.
Candidates are advised that this is an administrative activity and therefore, they need not to bring their supporters. Candidates who are engaged on the day of the meetings are requested to send their representatives.
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has rejected governing Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) request to withdraw the parliamentary candidature of Henry Mumba of Mzimba-Hora Constituency.
MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa told the Daily Times that according to the country’s electoral laws, a party cannot withdraw a candidate’s name.
DPP secretary general (GS), Grezelder Jeffrey, had written Mec, saying the decision to withdraw Mumba’s name was due to circumstances beyond the party’s control.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, we, hereby, write to advise your good offices about withdrawal of candidate Henry Mumba who had submitted his nomination papers on February 6 2019 to contest on the DPP ticket. Kindly act accordingly on this instruction,” the letter reads.
Jeffrey was not readily available for a comment yesterday on the reasons behind the party’s decision.
DPP spokesperson, Nicholas Dausi, Sunday said he needed more time before commenting on the matter.
DPP Northern Region governor, Kenneth Sanga, referred The Daily Times to the party’s legal adviser Charles Mhango, saying issues of candidates are centralised.
“The party centralised the issue of candidates and that is why even our primaries were managed at central level,” Sanga said.
But Mhango said he could not comment on the matter since he did not write Mec.
Meanwhile, Mec has said any person’s candidature can only be withdrawn when the candidate informs them in writing.
“The procedure is that the candidate should inform us in writing. Even if the candidate withdraws or leaves a party, the party cannot feature a replacement. There is no nomination by substitution,” Mwafulirwa said.
Mumba said he was not aware of the development, saying he remains DPP’s torchbearer for the constituency.
There has been a long standing dispute between Mumba and incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Christopher Mzomera-Ngwira, who was declared bankrupt by the court, thereby, making him ineligible to contest for public office.
Last week, Jeffrey told the media that Ngwira would be replaced alongside Joe Nyirongo who was aspiring councillor for Chibanja Ward in Mzuzu.
750 Lilongwe voters registration certificate found dumped in Mangochi.
MANGOCHI-(MaraviPost)-Over 750 voters registration certificates for Lilongwe Nsinja have been found dumped at Thema 1 Primary school in the area of senior chief Nankumba in Mangochi district, Maravi Post has learnt.
Radio Islam reliable source said the cards were found after the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) officers ended their voter registration verification exercise on Wednesday.
The community reported the matter to the surrounding stakeholders to identify the cards who revealed that they belong to Lilongwe district.
In his immediate reaction, MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa told Radio Islam reporter that his institution has received the report but they are still carrying their investigations on the matter.
“We have received such report but we are still investigating to find out the truth. We therefore ask all concern stakeholders to remain calm,” he said.
However, Mangochi district Nation Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust Tena Banda while accepting to have also received the report asked MEC to quickly investigate the matter.
Malawi Congress Party spokesperson Rev. Maurice Munthali wondered if the 2019 polls will be free and fare especially with what is happening with MEC.
“Last year the voters registration kit were found dumped in a Mozambican train, the missing of MEC computers in Mzuzu and today we are hearing this report. This tells us that MEC is failing to conduct its duties and that the polls will not be free and fair,” lamented Munthali.
Election voter registration staff hired by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) are warning of sabotage at the start of the exercise unless their allowance is increased.
The voter registration staff are given MK120,000 each for a fortnight which translates into MK8,500 a day.
But some staff, undergoing training in Blantyre, said they would take up their positions only if the allowance has been upped.
“The allowance is just too little compared to the current cost of living,” said one of the voter registration members.
MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa has dismissed the threats, saying the pollster could not be pushed with threats.
The registration of the voters for the 2019 polls starts this month in the central region amid reports that some voter registration staff have declined to take up their positions because of the low allowances.
MEC: insists it will hold a by-election and not a re-run as demanded by MCP
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on Monday, rebuffed the main opposition party in parliament, the Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) demand for a re-run instead of a by-election in the Lilongwe City South East Constituency. MEC argues that the country does not have laws to support such kind of elections.
As a result, the commission will conduct the by-elections in the constituency slated for June 6, 2017, which will be an open race to all interested parties and individuals.
MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa, said that the electoral body had full understanding of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal ruling of the re-run of the May 20, 2014 parliamentary polls in the area.
Mwafulirwa said the commission’s decision for a fresh elections, was based on Section 100 (4) of the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections (PPE) Act, which calls for such a poll in a situation where the court nullifies an election.
He added that the law used to litigate over the matter, hence the MEC’s resolution to hold the by-elections and not a re-run as per MCP’s demand.
MEC spokesperson noted that the court judgment only gave the commission the direction on how to conduct the re-run, which must be in line with the country’s electoral law.
The said electoral law section reads: “Pursuant to an order of the High Court…declaring that the National Assembly or the President…was not duly elected, a fresh election for the seat…shall be held in accordance with Act”.
Concurring with the commission, Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn) Chairperson, Steve Duwa, chided the MCP and accused it as merely dragging the matter.
Duwa said the MCP needed only to support and implement what was discussed and agreed upon during the National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF), that a by-election was the way to go as the country does not have laws regarding to re-run.
But MCP’s Second Secretary-General Eisenhower Mkaka, expressed sadness over MEC’s stand to hold by-elections instead of a re-run. He argues that the decision will set a wrong precedent as the matter is diametrically different.
The Supreme Court of Appeal on March 6, this year ordered MEC to conduct a re-run of the disputed parliamentary elections after MCP candidate Ulemu Msungama successfully challenged the 2014 elections results, which the MEC declared the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Bantly Namasasu as the winner.
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Unknown thugs break into MEC’s Lilongwe offices
