MHRC wants no politicians among MEC commissioners

The Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has proposed a change in the country’s electoral laws to ensure that Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioners are not appointed from political parties.

The recommendation is among several reforms the taxpayer-funded MHRC has put forward as possible reforms in the just-released May 2014 Tripartite Elections Monitoring Report.

Besides the chairperson who is a Supreme Court of Appeal judge, MEC’s current composition has been by individuals with political affiliations.

Reads the report in part: “This [inclusion of politicians] has raised questions as to the ability of persons drawn from such a background, and with such linkages to political parties to be apolitical and discharge their functions in MEC impartially.

“For instance, it is on record, that in spite of the overall consensus on the decisions that MEC arrived at in the course of the elections, some members expressed reservations and open dissenting views on some issues relating to the conduct of the elections. A case in point is the communique that was issued and signed by some of the MEC commissioners expressing their objections and dissenting views on some aspects of the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections”.

While welcoming the recommendation, opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) deputy publicity secretary Ezekiel Ching’oma said the call falls short of MCP’s wish for a complete overhaul of MEC which includes the stripping of powers to appoint commissioners from the presidency.

However, governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Francis Kasaila welcomed the recommendation in principle, but urged for a thorough debate on the matter.

The recommendations, which comes after MEC has also on its own instituted several reforms on the electoral law and other institutional reforms, are carried in a report which has been highly critical of the electoral body’s handling of the May 20 elections. The report described the elections as not transparent, fair and credible.