The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has resumed the by-election process in Lilongwe South Constituency and people will vote in the polls on 30 January, 2020.
MEC Chief Elections Officer Sammy Alfandika announced the resumption in a press statement on Thursday.
According to Alfandika, the decision to resume the process has been arrived at following consultations with electoral stakeholders.
Alfandika said in the statement that the campaign period for the polls closes on 28th January, 2020 at 6AM and results will be announced a day after the polling day.
“As part of the by-election process, the Commission shall hold a stakeholders’ meeting on 20th January, 2020 at Malingunde TDC in the constituency where it shall provide all information and release the electoral calendar,” said Alfandika.
By-election in the constituency was expected to be held on 5th November 2019 but the polls were postponed due to growing insecurity and threats to MEC Commissioners and staff deployed to work in the constituency.
According to MEC, On October 25, 2019 one of the MEC Commissioners was blocked and stoned while on a campaign monitoring exercise.
Secretariat staff who were putting up posters were also stopped and verbally intimidated.
In a related development, the electoral body has announced that by-election in Liwawadzi Ward in Balaka North Constituency will be held on 5th March, 2020.
The ward fell vacant following the death of a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Councillor, Thomson Thomas Bwanali, on 25th October, 2019.
