Elections Body Proposes New Date For Malawi Presidential Polls
Malawi Electoral Commission, MEC, has proposed June 23 for the country’s rerun presidential polls.
It has also asked parliament to endorse the new date. Earlier, the elections body had set July 2 for a new round of voting after the Constitutional Court overturned the results of 2019’s election, which handed President Peter Mutharika a second term in office.
MEC chairperson Jane Ansah told a high-level meeting in Mangochi that parliament should endorse the date.
“This will enable MEC to have more time to process the results before the end of 150 days ordered by the court,” she told the political party representatives and other electoral stakeholders.
allAfrica.com however, reports that civil rights activists and opposition parties say they will fight to ensure that the head of the commission and the commissioners are removed from office.
Political parties and other stakeholders want Ansah and other commissioners out of office following both Constitutional Court and Supreme Court orders.
Other political commentators say the commissioners have brought forward the date of the election from July 2 so that they administer the elections before the end of their term of office in June.
Ansah told reporters that MEC has shot down a proposal by electoral stakeholders to employ from the private sector presiding officers.
She said public servants, such as teachers, can do better in the job because they are accountable to the government.
