Malawi elections to delay up to six weeks: Ballot papers in Friday
Malawi’s court-sanctioned fresh presidential elections slated for Tuesday June 23 is set to delay up to six weeks due to logistical hiccups, Nyasa Times understands as Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) will this Thursday appraise Parliament on the state of preparedness and challenges it is facing.
MEC chairperson Justice Chifundo Kachale told the National Elections Consultative Forum (Necof) in Lilongwe on Thursday the state of preparedness for the fresh presidential poll and highlighted the challenges .
Kachale said the Commission will get direction from Parliament on how the challenges can be resolved.
He said the Commission is yet to get K10 billion from Treasury to finance its operations for the forthcoming polls.
Kachale said the Commission met Treasury and Reserve Bank of Malawi officials on the matters and that the situation is not promising, which hints to further delays to the polling.
During presentation of the 2020/21 National Budget in Lilongwe last Friday, Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamveka said donors are not forth-coming to support the elections budget.
Nyasa Times understands that to resolve all the bottlenecks so that a credible election is delivered , the Commission will need to postpone the June 23 polling for up to a maximum of six weeks.
Meanwhile, Kachale told Necof that the batch of ballot papers printed in Dubai for the fresh presidential election are expected in the country on Friday through Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe.
He said 193 pallets of ballot papers will arrive monring and political parties are, therefore, invited to send their monitors to witness the receipt and warehousing process of the ballot papers.
In terms of transport logistics, Kachale says there is a shortfall of 226 trucks.
He said the Malawi Defence Force ( MDF) is yet to confirm whether it will release three helicopters for airlifting materials to remote areas.
Kachale said the military will provide security in hot spots.
The MEC Chairperson also officially announced that the College of Medicine in Blantyre will be the tally centre for the fresh presidential poll and that only 10 political party representatives will be allowed at the national tally centre.
“Vote counting will begin manually immediately when voting at polling centre closes.
After counting the results, presiding officers will paste a copy of the results at the noticeboard and send a copy of it to the district tally centre,” said Kachale.
MEC has also confirmed the three presidential candidates and their running mates.
The presidential candidates include Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika and his running mate Atupele Muluzi; Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presiden Lazarus Chakwera and his running mate Saulos Chilima as well as Mbakuwaku Movement for Development (MMD) president Peter Kuwani and his running mate Archibald Kalawang’oma.
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This article is from ‘dream land’!! Where in your dreams did you get six weeks from? It must have been a terrible nightmare of a dream!. Dream on brother, Malawi is marching on in less than three or four days!
Majaji omwewo ndi oweruza milandu, majaji omwewo akufunanso aziyendetsa boma, koma mwafatsatuu atumbuka inu. Tiyeni nazoni. Welcome to politics. One day you judges shall know what politics is. It about time.
Galu iwe wadya dollar ya DPP eti. Ine Me! ME I’m voting 23rd june. ku office nda sanzika khale… Nyekhwe yafika ! Siku ya 40 yafika
Death To DPP….. Alliance boma
Basi pitaninso ku court mukatenge injunction or mupange ma demo okakamiza kuti chifundo kachali atule pansi udindo walepheranso kuyendetsa chisankho
THEY WANT TO USE DRCs KABILA WAY OF DELAYING ELECTIONS
IF ELECTIONS ARE TO BE POSTPONED…WE HAVE TO AGREE THAT THE PRESIDENT MUST STEP DOWN FROM JULY 23RD AND THAT NO GOVT ASSETS WILL BE USED……SCALE DOWN ALL GOVT OPERATIONS EXCEPT ESSENTIALS ONLY……
NO FINANCIAL TRANSACTION SHOULD HAPPEN INVOLVING OPC AND ANY MINISTRY EXCEPT HEALTH ….AND SALARIES ONLY FOR OTHER MINISTRIES.
The election will go ahead otherwise from 24th of June we will have a government on National unity because APM will have no mandate to govern… The DPP government has deliberately and systematically delayed all the processes to have the election done within the 150 days the courts directed. We can not allow DPP to be in charge of the country for another 6 weeks when we have printed ballot papers within the country, unless those ballot papers are kept at the British or American embassy there is no safe place not even at th3 army barracks as the new… Read more »
No president after 2 July, uyuyu nyenkhwe amangotchula, samaidziwa.
The article is wrong and does not represent what is at the meeting. The MEC chairperson said campaign ends on Sunday and how can he say that when elections are not on 23 June 2020. I cam foresee DPP symphathisers working on confusing people inorder for them not to vote on this day.
Anyway,come 2nd July old man youll not be the president.Ma court ndiye ndi awo unawaputa kalewo.
Why the hell do we need donors to raise a miserable MK10 billion for our elections? Why do you find money to pay off Mulli’s companies but you fail to find money for elections? You put money in place for Stadiums and useless loans that people will never repay and yet you cant find money for elections. You had 150 days to hold the elections and now you say you have no funds? Mr Mwanamveka and your useless cadets at treasury and RBM, be very careful. Rivers of blood can easily flow in this town if you think you can… Read more »