One of the female Commissioners told Nyasa Times that the
meeting with President Mutharika took place at Sanjika Palace and was
the second time for them the country's elections authority to consult
and report to the President.
A State House source also told Nyasa Times that the Commissioners were joined in a meeting by Chief Elections Officer, David Bandawe.
The President wants the polling date to change to a later date, disclosed a Commissioner.
President Mutharika has been overwhelmed by the opposition alliance of
MCP and UDF. He is pressing on the electoral body to shift the
elections date to enable us re-strategies.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner told Nyasa Times that the electoral authorities will hold an emergency meeting for Commissioners on Monday to discuss Mutharika's demands.
Another meeting has been slated for Tuesday with all political parties, she said.
There are reports that President Mutharika plans to rig the elections
after sniffing the whiff of abject failure in the election following
the formation of MCP-UDF alliance backing join presidential candidate
John Tembo.
According to the source in the electoral body said their position is
now compromised because they are taking direct instructions from
executive.
The source said part of the rigging exercise started by messing-up the
voter's roll a tactic which Malawi government is said to have been
advised by specially assigned consultant Vernon Mwaanga, a Zambia
government chief whip in parliament.
Mwaanga has been lodging at the Capital Hotel in Lilongwe using a Mercedenz Benz which previously belonged to Charles Matabwa.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) however told journalist
last week that the body was cleaning up its voters roll after missing
names and other incorrect data were discovered.
"The electoral commission is in the process of rectifying errors and making amendments from the voters’ roll," Msosa said.
"There was incorrect data, missing and misplaced names, missing photos and incorrect information," Msosa added.
The anomalies were discovered during a verification exercise launched last week throughout the country.
But Mutharika has directed that the election day should change to give
his task force of rigging another chance to restrategise in the face
of the opposition grand alliance and leakage of rigging scheme.
Msosa that there would be no any changes, to the electoral calendar, as
regards to the polling date, if the voter roll clean up exercise, would
be completed by May 4th. She said any postponement will have to be
agreed by all stakeholders.
We would like to work with the political parties that if there will be
any postponement we can do it collectively so that each of us
appreciate it because as you are aware these political parties are main
players. In the end we want to have credible elections and clean voter
register, she told Capital FM.
We are somehow ready; the voters registers at the moment I can see some light at the end of the tunnel, she said.
Information gathered by Nyasa Times indicates that EC printed ballot papers from Kalamazoo in UK without authority of the political parties.
Nyasa Times investigations at the UK printing firm established that
ballot papers have been printed in excess of eight million when
registered voters are 5.8 million.
Some of the ballot papers will be shipped to Malawi separately, said a source.
Msosa said political party representatives, who are willing to witness
the printing of ballot papers will be allowed to do so but they will
meet their own travel expenses.
She further said MEC, will delegate one of their commissioners or officials, to accompany them to the UK.
In a related development, EC also awarded a tender to President
Mutharika's daughter to supply ballot boxes and some electoral
materials from South Africa.
A group of Robert Mugabe's Zanu(PF) members is also working closely with Mutharika's party to achieve a stolen vote.
Nyasa Times
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