Police dump MEC

Police have stopped providing security to   Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) offices in Blantyre, a development a local non-govermental organisation fears may compromise the forthcoming tripartite elections.

Police have refused to comment on the issue while Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn) has described the situation as a crisis.

The Nation visited MEC offices on Tuesday after getting a tip from a police officer and after one hour of searching the premises, it was noted there was no single police officer around the place. Usually, the police officers were stationed at the entrance to MEC offices as well as at the commission’s warehouses.

A source in the police service disclosed that they stopped providing security to MEC a week ago after the officers were not getting their allowances.

MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa, who was in Lilongwe on the day The Nation visited the elections body’s premises, said he was not aware that police stopped providing security to the commission’s office.

“As far as I know it, the police are still there. You may not see them because it is a security issue,” said Mwafulirwa.

When told that The Nation had been at the offices for an hour, but did not see any police officer, Mwafulirwa referred the matter to the police.

When contacted on the matter, national police spokesperson Rhoda Manjolo refused to comment.

Mesn board chairperson Steve Duwa has warned MEC against creating an unnecessary crisis as the country moves closer to the elections.

“This is a crisis because we depend on the police to provide security to such materials as ballot papers and other things at MEC. I appeal to MEC to sort out the matter because that cannot be tolerated,” said Duwa.

In a related development, The Daily Times of Wednesday reported that MEC’s data entry clerks had not been paid their dues.