Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament has said it will meet Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah and MEC commissioners over calls for Ansah to step down.
The committee, which recommends hiring and firing of public officers to the president, said this on Thursday following a meeting with the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) concerning the HRDC’s demand for the resignation of Ansah.
Speaking after the meeting which took place at Parliament Building in Lilongwe, chairperson of the committee Collins Kajawa described the meeting as fruitful saying they have listened to what HRDC needs as a stakeholder.
Kajawa added that the meeting will have an impact because they have discovered critical issues that needs proper investigations before coming up with a decision.
“As a committee, we have planned to consult the MEC Chairperson and other commissioners to hear their side of the story through dialogue after the court finalizes its mandate next week within a minimum of 7 days,” he said
Kajawa then said the committee will write President Peter Mutharika after hearing both sides of the story because it is an issue concerning a presidential appointment.
He assured Malawians that despite the committee’s busy schedule, the parliamentarians are still going to handle the issue in time.
In his remarks, HRDC Chairperson Timothy Mtambo said they are impressed with the leadership of the Parliamentary Committee because they had successful discussions as they have been able to present their demands and reasons why they want Ansah out of office.
He said they believe and expect the committee to take what they have discussed to the president so that he should act on their demands.
However, Mtambo insisted that the group will resume the demonstrations after the 14 days they were given to suspend the demos end, and they are not going to stop the demos until Ansah resigns or gets fired.
HRDC accuses Ansah of failing to competently manage the May 21 elections in which Mutharika was declared winner.
