Commissioner Banda refuses to resign

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Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioner, Dr. Moffat Banda, has said that he will not resign even though the Constitutional Court faulted the commission over widespread irregularities in the May 21 elections.

Banda said this today at Parliament where the Parliamentary Public Appointments Committee (PAC) summoned him to enquire into his competence as directed by the Constitutional Court which nullified the May 21 Elections.

The commissioner told the committee that he takes responsibility for some of the mistakes in the elections but cannot resign.

During the hearing, Banda concurred with fellow commissioner Mary Nkosi who appeared before the committee on Monday that the commissioners signed final presidential election results the morning of the day President Peter Mutharika was sworn in.

He also said that he warned the other commissioners not to allow any tippexed results sheet saying they were being cheated.

“When I saw tippexed papers and duplicates I raised questions but what surprised me is that auditors had stamped and signed the tally sheets,” said Banda.

According to Banda, the commission was told by auditors that polling staff were failing to reconcile figures hence tippexed result sheets were being tolerated.

PAC on Tuesday morning also questioned Commissioner Yahaya M’madi and Commissioner Linda Kunje.

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