MEC dismisses DPP complaint on polls
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has dismissed a complaint by opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that President Lazarus Chakwera’s public events in Mangochi, a day before Mwasa Ward by-elections in the district, amounted to campaign.
Speaking during the announcement of official results at HHI Secondary School hall in Blantyre yesterday, MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja acknowledged receiving the DPP complaint on Monday, alleging that Chakwera, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president, conducted public events in Mangochi on July 22 2024 after the close of the official campaign on July 21 2024.
The DPP complaint stated that at the public events, MCP members were seen wearing party attire and supported the President.
But Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said the commission established that the President’s events were conducted outside Mwasa Ward in Mangochi North East Constituency.
She said: “The message delivered during the events did not mention the local government by-election in Mwasa. It is, therefore, difficult to conclude that the events were an organised effort to campaign for a candidate in the election.”
On Monday, Chakwera toured Agri-vest Chitakale Estate as well as construction of finance and council chamber at Mangochi District Council and the construction of Monkey-Bay Cape Maclear Road.
During the briefing, Mtalimanja also said that a complaint from MCP alleging that DPP members were handing out cash in Mwasa Ward was also dismissed for lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, MEC has declared MCP candidate Stewart Mwase as winner of the by-election in Mwasa Ward with 1 073 votes and independent candidate Maxwell Chipiliro Phiri as winner in Chilaweni Ward in Blantyre Rural East Constituency with 1 882.
The win in Mwasa comes months after the MCP, which is part of the governing Tonse Alliance, also scooped three council seats in by-elections held in three wards in Karonga in March 2024.
But in an interview yesterday, political analyst Ernest Thindwa observed that performance in by-elections cannot be a measure of the party’s electoral appeal across the country.
He said: “By-elections tend to be isolated and, localised and therefore, have no meaningful bearing in providing indications of voter preference among electoral alternatives countrywide.”
On his part, political commentator Humphrey Mvula said the MCP needs to provide solutions to problems individuals are facing through now rather than believing that the results of the by-elections will be replicated in the 2025 General Elections.
In the by-elections in Mwasa Ward, a total of 3 797 people registered as voters out of which 2 140 turned out for polling while in Chilaweni Ward, 3 864 out of 10 424 registered voters cast their ballots.
