CHRR backs 50+1 electoral system at regional meet
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has said the law should provide that the winner of presidential elections in the country must achieve an absolute majority of valid votes, 50 + 1, as opposed to a simple majority.
CHRR executive director Timothy Mtambo said this as part of the organisation’s recommendations to a presentation of the May 20 Tripartite Elections he made in Bulawayo Zimbabwe during the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) civil society organisations (CSOs) conference.
Mtambo said Malawi’s electoral system produces minority winners at both presidential and parliamentary elections levels where in the 2014 elections, the president was elected with 36 percent of votes while 134 of 192 members of Parliament (MPs) were elected with less than 50 percent votes in their constituency.
He said this has an effect on political legitimacy of the elected office holders.
“The system encourages and exaggerates regional and tribal fiefdoms for
political parties and candidates in pursuit of the marginal vote that can affect the outcome of the elections.
“Because of the requirement for absolute majority, the law should provide for a Two Round System or second ballot for presidential elections and only the top two candidates from the first round should be allowed to contest in the second round,” said Mtambo.
CHRR also recommended that the chairmanship of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) should be opened to other professions because there is no justification for limiting the privilege to judges only.
On another note, CHRR recommended that registration of voters should be linked to the National Identity Programme to cut on costs and other inefficiencies.
