National News

Malawi electoral reforms target next House meet

Scrapping off the first-past-the-post electoral system and other reforms aimed at improving legitimacy of the country’s election system and the credibility of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) may be sent to Parliament for approval as early as the next meeting, MEC and other stakeholders announced on Tuesday.
The announcement was made at a news conference in Lilongwe jointly addressed by MEC and Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn), co-chairs of the current electoral reform task force.
Speaking after a meeting of the technical committee spearheading the reforms, MEC commissioner Emmanuel Chimkwita- Phiri told journalists the reforms likely to be sent to Parliament include harmonisation of electoral laws, removal of the first- past-the-post system, independence of MEC and funding of MEC.
He said: “We hope to finish consultations and come up with a final paper by August [2015]. It is important that we enact these reforms.”

Women voters in Malawi
Women voters in Malawi
On his part, Mesn chairperson Steve Duwa said the reforms seek to improve the representativeness, legitimacy and inclusiveness of the electoral process and its outcomes.
He added that the reforms are also set to align the country’s electoral system with international standards such as the Southern Africa Develoment Community (Sadc) principles and guidelines governing democratic elections and the African Charter on democracy, elections and governance.
Earlier this year, the United Nations urged stakeholders to push ahead with reforms despite challenges.
The reforms come hot on the heels of a national post election conference that exposed dissatisfaction by several stakeholders with the management of the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections.

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One Comment

  1. My simple advice to MEC is that it will be suicidal for Malawi to remove the first-past-the-post system on two principal accounts: (1) our voting pattern and the outcome of previous elections indicates that 50plus in unattainable in Malawi. in 1994 no one reached 50%; in 1999 Muluzi managed to get 51.0% among strong allegation of rigging, which many still believe he was below 50%, in 2004 the winning candidate Mutharika got 35.02%; in 2009 it was the only election the winning candidate scored 60% plus because of sound fiscal management that liberated the country from hunger-stricken country to a relative better-off nation, the 2014 elections, it is clear that no one got close to 40%. There is no logic for change the current system in presence of such enormous evidence unless we are sick. (2) Currently, the country is going through economic challenges where no donor is interested to support the national budget. Credibility of elections hinges good funding. Where will the country find resources for a re-run, which is obvious. I find it more disgusting, irrational and primitive to think of changing something that is workable because you want to serve the interest of greedy Malawians, who have no interest of Malawians. MEC and advocates for the removal of the current system you will answer before Yahweh, Allah, our Ancestors and the whole people of Malawi for the communal suicide you are forcing Malawians to commit. May God watch you.

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