Malawians demand resignation of MEC chair

Malawians on social media are demanding the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah following the theft of a biometric registration kit.

The biometric kit went missing while being transported in a Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) Tata truck that was expected to deliver the kit in Mwanza. It was found on September 29th in Mozambique on a coal train.

However, the incident has raised questions as some Malawians believe the kit was stolen by people who wanted to use the information in it to rig the 2019 Tripartite Election.

On social media, #AnsahMustResign is picking momentum as Malawians want the MEC boss to step down.

“In this case, Jane Ansah and all top-tier officers at MEC need to resign without discussions. They have shown us their incapacity and ill-motive towards handling of the forthcoming elections,” Nancy Tadala Musasa said.

John Capstone said: “This time Jane Ansah will resign!!! Enough is enough.”

While wrote another Malawian wrote: “Now this is the time all parties, CSOs should take it to the streets to demand MEC chairperson to resign. This is the person who has never said the voter registration machine went missing. We just learnt in the paper that it’s been recovered. How long has it been lost? How do that not affect the elections next year? But she will cling to her position. You and I will queue to exercise our voting right yet the outcome could be influenced. Ansamustresign.”

Others also called on President Peter Mutharika to step down saying the president and Ansah owe Malawians an explanation.

Dickson Kashoti said: “MEC chair Jane Ansah must resign. APM must resign too. Forensic experts need to urgently look into all voter registration machines following reports that one of them has been found in Mozambique after missing in Malawi. This is what SKC [Vice President Saulos Chilima] has feared all along that the DPP wants to rig the elections. The data in the machine has been compromised, this demands uncompromised answers from MEC. This is serious. Malawians need to take up to the streets to express their anger and dismay over this issue. Ansah and Mutharika owe us an explanation.”