Poll suspense MEC, parties, stakeholders meet

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has appealed to candidates in the May 20 Tripartite Elections to avoid declaring themselves winners before official results are declared.

MEC chairperson Maxon Mbendera made the appeal last evening at the National Tally Centre in Blantyre when he delivered a statement endorsed by MEC, Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn), Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), political parties and other stakeholders.

Said Mbendera: “The stakeholders were requested not to declare themselves winners before the official results are announced by Malawi Electoral Commission.

“The commission also undertook to consider and resolve all complaints made and substantiated by evidence before announcing the final results.”

Unofficial results announced by appointed official broadcasters of the tripartite elections, Zodiak Broadcasting Station and Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, showed that Democratic Progressive Party president Peter Mutharika was neck and neck with his Malawi Congress Party counterpart Lazarus Chakwera.

Mbendera said during the meeting with stakeholders, the commission committed to continue providing regular updates and engage political parties when it is necessary as the country awaits the official results.

He said: “The commission further assured stakeholders that the results management system had not been compromised and the results that are being transmitted are secure.

“Notwithstanding the preceding, the commission assured the nation that it was doing everything possible to ensure that the results to be announced would be credible and released within the statutory period of eight days from the last day of polling.”

He said the stakeholders were informed that MEC was still facing challenges of slow transmission of the results on the result management system from constituencies to the national tally centre and that a fax system and physical movement of forms was instituted as an additional measure.

Meanwhile, MEC dismissed demands by PP that the votes should be recounted because of numerical irregularities.

At a press conference in Lilongwe on Thursday morning, Banda said other disparities were in cases where she received less votes to her party’s parliamentary candidates.

Responding in an interview in Blantyre, Mbendera said there would be no recount because the results in question had already been validated as correct.

PP deputy spokesperson Ken Msonda also alleged that DPP, having hacked the system, were manipulating the results and feeding them to radio stations and televisions which, in turn, were allegedly announcing them to the public to create an impression that DPP presidential candidate Peter Mutharika was in the lead.

But Mbendera rejected this allegation, saying “from my understanding, the television and radio station that MEC engaged as official broadcasters are announcing unofficial results, and these, from my knowledge, are results that have been pasted on the walls of buildings where they are reporting from.”

At a press conference in Blantyre yesterday afternoon, Mutharika described the PP allegations as false, saying “maybe they are saying all this under the pressure of not doing well.”

He added: “Just how on earth can a party in the opposition have the capacity to beat the government machinery and manage to rig? This is the first time I am hearing that this is possible.”