MEC rebuffs Tisintha Alliance on running mate

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has dismissed Tisintha Alliance’s plea to present a replacement for its resigned running mate the Reverend Sylvester Chabuka.

The commission further said his name will still appear on the ballot paper together with the alliance’s presidential candidate George Nnesa.

In a letter dated April 19 wrote by MEC chief elections officer Willie Kalonga and addressed to Mafunde party general secretary, Jane Rose Anthony, MEC has said since neither the Constitution nor electoral laws provide direction on the steps the commission should take in the event of resignation of a running mate, consultations were made.

MEC said it consulted widely on the matter and has determined that the qualification was already met by the presidential candidate on the day of presentation of nomination papers to the commission.

“It is the president who names the running mate; candidacy of the presidential candidate is not dependent on the running mate and the running mate is named by the candidate and not the political party.

“In view of this, the commission observed that in principle, the candidate himself, has not informed the commission of the resignation of the running mate. Such information cannot come from the party or the running mate. The matter was, therefore, irregularly brought to the commission,” reads the letter in part.

“The commission is, therefore, unable to reopen nomination to receive a replacement for your candidate. The candidate’s name, will, therefore, appear together with the running mate on the ballot paper,” wrote Kalonga.

The letter from MEC is in response to a letter which Tisintha Alliance wrote to the commission on April 10, seeking for guidance following the resignation of Chabuka from the group.

Chabuka resigned from the alliance citing differences in political ideologies within the alliance.