Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Jane Ansah says chiefs and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leadership in Lilongwe South asked the commission to conduct polls in the constituency which were postponed last year due to violence.
Ansah said this during a press briefing that was held at Central Offices Information (COI) in Lilongwe.
She said they have decided to conduct the by-election after receiving letters from the MCP candidate Peter Dimba and chiefs from Lilongwe South pleading with the commission that they should hold the polls.
Dimba and the chiefs argued that their constituency is not progressing in terms of development projects since there no one to represent them in Parliament.
According to Ansah, the candidate and chiefs have since assured the commission that there will no violence this time.
“The commission is ready to conduct fair and credible elections, all the resources that are needed will be needed at the by elections are ready,” she explained.
She further said that campaign activities in Lilongwe South constituency will end on 28 January and that there will not be any form of registration or nomination of candidates as it was already done last year.
MEC announced last week that it has resumed the by-election process in Lilongwe South Constituency and people will vote in the polls on 30 January, 2020.
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 as well as supporters of various parties and candidates.
The electoral body is also expected to conduct by-election in Liwawadzi Ward in Balaka North Constituency 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.
The commission will meet electoral stakeholders in the ward on 25 January to map the way forward.
Wawa bwana Dimba