JB nullifies elections
Joyce Banda has nullified the entire electoral process and has ordered fresh elections in 90 days.
The president said the May 20 election process had been unfair .
Banda said : “Where as it has come to my attention that there have been several fraudulent and rampant irregularities in relation to the 2014 Tripartite Elections for the election of President, Members of Parliament and Councilors; and where as it is in the public interest that all ongoing processes in the relation to the 2014 Tripartite Elections for the election of President, Members of Parliament and Councilors be nullified:
Now therefore, I Dr Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of Malawi, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 88 (2) of the Constitution, hereby issue this Proclamation nullifying all on-going processes in relation to the 2014 Tripartite Elections for the election of President, Members of Parliament and Councilors, including the process of counting of votes and announcement of the results thereof which shall cease forthwith.
And I hereby, further proclaim that Tripartite Elections for the election of President, Members of Parliament and Councilors shall be held within ninety days of the date of this Proclamation. Given under my hand at Lilongwe on this 24th day of May , 2014,”
Banda who said will not stand in the election is currently trailing in the May 20-22 elections to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Malawi Congress Party’s Lazarus Chakwera.
But a lawyer who did not want to be named says only the Malawi Electoral Commission can nullify elections.
On Wednesday Banda said the May 20 election it was clear the election had been rigged [in favour of the opposition] citing irregularities such as discarded and tampered with ballot papers, absence of voter registers at polling stations. She called for a manual recount of the votes tallied.
The PP’s candidate claims the digital system has been infiltrated by opposition agents and says her party has evidence which it has since submitted to Malawi Electoral Commission.
Meanwhile unofficial results shows Mutharika got 1 789 364 votes followed by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Lazarus Chakwera who polled 1 387 500 votes.
Banda, People’s Party candidate got 1 042 686 votes, while Atupele Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) got 665 819 votes.
While Malawians are busy blaming each other, the mistake really is MEC, the longer you take to announce results, the more trouble you invite and the more suspicious the whole thing becomes. Up to now they only have 30% of the results, what did they expect. Next time they need to be quick in announcing the results and get over with it quickly.