Parties wary of elections credibility

Opposition parties in the country have asked the Sadc Electoral Observation Mission (Seom) to check the conduct of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) which they fear will render a serious blow on the elections credibility.

Speaking in separate interviews following Seom’s arrival in the country, the People’s’ Progressive Movement (PPM) and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) pointed out that the conduct by the two institutions is dangerous, considering the already prevailing tense situation as the nation draws closer to May 20.

PPM president Mark Katsonga Phiri implored Seom to ask MEC to seriously update the voters roll so as not to disenfranchise some electorates.

“We find certain actions by MEC very suspicious and deliberately putting some parties and candidates at a disadvantage,” said Katsonga.

MCP spokesperson Jesse Kabwila asked the Sadc observers to stop what she termed as “MBC’s cosmetic coverage” of the opposition on its channels.

“The observers should be aware that MBC is systematically decampaigning the opposition. It’s a shame they air only feature sound bytes and hide mammoth crowds that attend our rallies,” said Kabwila.

Speaking at the launch of the observers mission work in Lilongwe on Saturday, head of the delegation, Nandi Ndaitwa, described the forthcoming tripartite elections as a huge test for the country’s democracy.

“The mission will encourage all political and electoral stakeholders to observe the processes with tolerance as the election is of a larger magnitude and complexity,” Nandi-Ndaitwa said.