Malawi fresh elections in July may postpone: MEC says coronavirus threat to holding polls
Pollster, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says coronavirus remains a great threat to the holding of the Constitutional Court sanctioned presidential election in July.
Commissioner Moffat Banda has said this on Tuesday in Kasungu on the sidelines of training for civic educators for the forthcoming polls.
Banda said MEC continues to monitor the trends of the disease worldwide.
“We are prepared to hold the election on July 2, this is why we continue to prepare but the coronavirus is the only threat,’ he said.
Banda said the outbreak—which has resulted in President Peter Mutharika declaring a State of Disaster—might impact of the process leading to the electoral body failing to conduct the election within the timeframe of 150 days as stipulated by the Constitutional Court (Concourt) on February 3.
“As you are aware, not more than 100 people can congregate at one place as the preventive measure against coronavirus and this is very difficult in the preparations and the holding of the election,” he said.
He said people look at each other suspiciously these days due to the coronavirus threat therefore it is not possible to bring them together.
Banda then advised the civic educators to be non partisan when did discharging their duties.
MEC chairperson Jane Ansah also told the National Elections Consultative Forum (Necof) meeting last week in Mangohci that if the pandemic worsens, MEC might have no other option than “to put on the election on hold.”
No wonder the old fool find the way to propaganda the coronavirus so that he can hide under it ,no way Almighty God will find another way to take us out in this bandage
Another sign of incompetence.
Please don’t allow jane and her incompetent MEC ruin another election.
DPP/UDF don’t really want to be humiliated at the ballot box and will try to hide behind the coronavirus.
Things will not end well for peter and jane!
Having an election is a waste of money.
The elections should be cancelled. Let us focus on making sure Malawi does not have a case of corona-virus.
U are very stupid idiot….
The evil opposition and corrupt courts can now see that nature has intervened. No elections and shame on Chakwera, Chilima, HRDC, ConCourt and Supreme Court judges.
All over the world, elections are being postponed including big events. MEC cannot organise elections in the current environment where borders are closed, flights are grounded etc.
No excuse of Covid-19 elections on kulibe pothawira
Maintaining the status quo with DPP lead is worse than Covid 19, we are dead both ways so let the fresh elections come perchance we might breathe a sigh of relief
It might be better for you to get infected with corona-virus so that you can understand why prevention is better for Malawi.
In the end we will have the fresh elections, it doesn’t matter when