Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has called for nationwide electoral investigation units in the Malawi Police Service (MPS) to speed up election-related cases to ensure free and fair elections.
MCP spokesperson Dr Jessie Kabwila made the call on Wednesday following the establishment of such units in the Northern Region.
Kabwila said such units would help achieve free and fair elections as they will concentrate on election complaints. She said the units should be observed at all times to ensure order.
“As MCP, we welcome establishment of such units if the country is to achieve free and fair election, but we wish it was nationalised or I should say institutionalised so that the units are there all the time.
“Complaints to do with elections are very sensitive so they need special units to handle them with speed to avoid tension,” said Kabwila.
National Police spokesperson Rhoda Manjolo said she was not aware if the units would be nationalised, saying she needed to consult.
Speaking during a security sector and media interface meeting in Mzuzu on Tuesday, Northern Region commissioner of police Paul Kanyama said the units are a standard practice in the Sadc region to help achieve free and fair elections.
He said with the establishment of the investigation units, electoral cases will be handled with speed to avoid tension and conflicts that arise due to delays in handling complaints.
“I do not know about other regions, but we are implementing this for the first time. This is something we should have been doing to ensure that cases are handled with speed. We have been ignoring this for so long, but these units are very crucial for free and fairs elections,” said Kanyama.
He said the police are ready to ensure a violence-free election.
