MEC urged to walk the talk

The Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn) has urged the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to walk the talk on ensuring that the electoral playing field is levelled.

Mesn, which has since hailed MEC for the ‘peaceful and successful’ filing process of aspirants’ nomination papers last week, said in a statement MEC should see to it that President Joyce Banda does not monopolise the public broadcaster, MBC.

MEC chairperson Maxon Mbendera told the President when she presented nomination papers for her candidature that because of the incumbency, she was enjoying more advantages in the electoral process; hence she needed to allow the opposition to equally use the public broadcaster.

Reads the statement signed by Mesn chairperson Steve Duwa: “We commend the MEC chair for the bold statement he made to the President, but we urge him and indeed the entire commission, to walk the talk by ensuring that the playing field is levelled.”

Duwa added that voters will only accept the election results as being credible if the playing field is levelled now.

Mesn also commended MEC for the lively atmosphere it created for political parties during the presentation of presidential nomination papers.

“There was free participation of party followers, the media, civil society organisations and community leaders,” he said.