JB demands vote recount

Incumbent President Joyce Banda has demanded that Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) should immediately carry out a manual audit of the results of the tripartite elections held on May 20 and 21 which she alleged had been rigged through various means.
Banda at a briefing today went as far as peddling rumours circulating on social media that the system MEC was using to transmit results to the national tally centre had been hacked.

“I am greatly concerned with the emerging reports of gross allegations of rigging and propaganda. I am concerned to learn that the
information system has broken down entailing that there was no official platform for the announcement of results,” she said.

Among the irregularities she mentioned included non-availlability of the voter register which allowed people to vote two or three times;
votes for the winner at a centre were exceeding the total registered voters and that some opposition members are using information technology toblock communication devices which are transmitting results to the national tally centre.

“In light of these concerns, I call upon the Malawi Electoral Commission to carry out an immediate manual audit of the whole process. I want Malawians to be treated fairly and have leaders of their choice. I have no doubt the true winner shall emerge and we all shall serve under that leader.”

STATEMENT BY
HER EXCELLENCY DR JOYCE BANDA
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI AND THE
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLES PARTY ON THE
STATUS OF COUNTING OF BALLOTS by John Richard Kasalika

—More in THE NATION tomorrow for expert coments and analysis