Barely months to the September 16 General Election, some political parties have raised questions about the capacity of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to deliver credible elections that everyone can trust. Our Staff Writer JAMES CHAVULA attended the recent National Elections Consultative Forum (Necof) in Lilongwe where he caught up with the Centre for Multiparty Democracy executive director Boniface Chibwana to discuss the preparations for the D-day. Excerpts.
Q: MEC is talking about transparent, credible, inclusive, free and fair elections. From what the MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja presented at the third Necof, do you think the country is ready to deliver elections everyone can trust?
A: If you look at the level of participation, how the stakeholders are expressing themselves, the level of MEC expressing themselves on the state of preparedness, then you can say we are on the right track. But you know that an election is an emotive endeavor whereby everybody has got their own expectations and concerns. In Malawi, politics is almost everything. That is why the stakes are very high in every election. But so far so good, in terms of the level of participation. If you look at the level of political parties’ involvement in the electoral processes, I think we are on the right track. However, this does not mean that there are no grey areas to be improved. No.
Q: What are these gray areas that require improvement?
A:People are asking: Will the transmission of results be done manually or electronically? However, MEC says it will explain the results management system later, which creates suspense. Malawians have also raised questions about the names that could not be traced in the voter register during the voter transfer exercise. Those are some of the sticky points. People still need some convincing answers. Of course, responses have been given. But if people keep on asking about those issues, it means that there are some grey areas where the commission has to clarify more.
Q: Is the commission responsive when such issues emerge?
A: If you look at the level of preparedness in terms of MEC responses and dialogue with electoral stakeholders, I think it’s responsive enough on a number of issues. Look, we have had a number of questions, letters of concern from political parties to the commission and they challenged all the stakeholders that they have given all the responses. So, for me, I think that in terms of responsiveness, MEC somehow tries hard to give that kind of confidence in the electoral process.
Q:Unlike in the previous Necofs, representatives of major parties appeared reluctant to ask questions or comment on preparations for the September elections. In fact, no MCP representative spoke today and only DPP director of elections Jean Mathanga, UDF’s Yusufuh Sambo and People‘s Party secretary general Ben Chakhame spoke their minds. But UDF, MCP, UTM were all silent in the House. Is this healthy for our democracy or it could be tactical withdrawal or some sort of protest?
A: No, two things. The few voices that stood up to say something give you the representation of the major political parties that we have in the country. Remember that MEC has been engaging these political parties throughout the process, even prior to the Necof. As such, a number of questions may have already been responded to. That is one way of looking at it. The other explanation is maybe the MEC chairperson has given enough information that political parties don’t have anything more to ask. However, it could also be a signal that maybe they are not satisfied with the process and they decided not to ask any question. I cannot answer on their behalf. However, if you look at the way the questions were coming at the Necof meeting, I think three quarters of them came from political parties and that shows that the major stakeholders are interested in the process.
Q: What needs to give way for the country to deliver credible elections?
A: I think, at this point in time issues of misinformation and misscommunication are very rife. We have to manage the process and ensure people get accurate information to make informed choices on the polling day. Every stakeholder has a role to play in this election, so let us try to verify the facts before we rush in condemning something. Where we need clarifications, there are relevant offices that we have to ask. We also have to improve the provisions of voter and civic education. Looking back, the projected numbers of eligible voters was close to 11 million, but only 7.2 million have registered. That kind of apathy is not good for the country. We would want to have a country where those who are elected enjoy that legitimacy from the majority of people that are eligible to vote. Of course, not every registered voter will go and vote. So, let us do everything necessary to ensure 90 to 100 percent of the registered voters go and cast their vote. That can only happen if we pass the necessary information to the public.
