Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it has successfully delivered ballot papers from its warehouse at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe to all the 229 constituency tally centres ahead of the September 16 General Election.
MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja told the media in Lilongwe last evening that the dispatch process was transparent with representatives of political parties allowed to inspect the voting materials before they were distributed.
She said security officers boarded the trucks carrying the sensitive electoral materials to their final destinations.
Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said: “All constituencies, including Likoma [island] have received ballot papers. In a few circumstances that we needed to change a vehicle, the process was monitored by security officers and party monitors.
“The vehicles that are stationed at constituency tally centres will remain closed until the distribution of ballot papers to polling centres. Unboxing and checking if they have received the right materials will be done on Monday.”
She also announced that selected special groups will be able to cast their votes at any polling station away from where they registered provided they get authority to vote elsewhere from constituency returning officers.
The groups comprise polling staff, security personnel and monitors of political parties and independent candidates as per the amended Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act.
Mtalimanja said the special groups have between today and Monday to get the authority to vote elsewhere from the constituency returning officers or district commissioners.
During the briefing, the commission announced suspension of elections in Chirunga Ward in Zomba City North Constituency following the death of Abraham Nyondo of Liberation for Economic Freedom and in Blantyre West Constituency following death of Micheal Isaac Chisala of Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
This means elections will be held in 227 constituencies and 502 local government positions after Lawrence Chaziya of Lilongwe Chilobwe Constituency was declared winner as he went unopposed, the same with Hilton Masache of Nyang’amiro Ward in the same area while the electoral body suspended councillorship elections in five wards following the deaths of candidates in the areas.
Meanwhile, some party monitors that have followed the dispatch of the ballot papers have expressed mixed reactions on how the exercise has been conducted.
UTM Party director of elections Bright Kawaga said except a few break down of vehicles, the process has been satisfactory.
He commended MEC for being open in giving every minute update of the dispatch exercise.
But Democratic Progressive Party ICT specialist Mackford Somanje expressed dissatisfaction with the dispatch exercise and said the party will issue its report on dispatch exercise soon
“Frequent breakdown on vehicles that we were told were serviced properly raises serious questions on credibility. We are not sure about what happened when those vehicles broke down. We have followed the whole process and we will issue our report very soon,” he said.
The 60-day official campaign launched on July 14 will close at 6am on Sunday, September 14.
