A civil society organization has requested the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to disclose to Malawians the costs incurred during the elections case.
Youth and Society (YAS) which is led by Charles Kajoloweka has written MEC chief elections officer Sammy Alfandika demanding to know the costs.
“Specifically indicate the breakdown in the following categories: costs incurred on private legal services, administrative costs and costs associated with court orders awarding cots to other parties in the case,” said Kajoloweka in the letter dated 18th February, 2020.
According to the activist, he made the request using section 37 of the Malawi Constitution which gives every legal and natural person a right to access public information which would be useful for the exercise of human rights.
He added that the information will be useful in the exercise of the rights under Section 40 of the Malawi Constitution as well as in ensuring that funds at the commission are properly put to use.
“As you are undoubtedly aware, the commission is a public institution and runs on public consolidated funds, hence it is constitutionally accountable to the public,” Kajoloweka said.
He then warned that the organization will be compelled to seek other means of compelling MEC to release the information if the request is not granted in 14 days.
The commission was a respondent in the elections case in which the Constitutional Court nullified the 2019 presidential elections.
The court ordered the commission to hold fresh elections in five months and to pay legal costs to petitioners Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima.
Meanwhile, the MEC has appealed against the nullification of the elections.
