Senior Chief Mlonyeni of Mchinji has urged Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and electoral stakeholders to be accurate and transparent when discharging their duties for the 2020 presidential elections in order to prevent another fresh election.
Speaking in an interview after a meeting which MEC conducted for chiefs at the senior chief’s headquarters, Senior Chief Mlonyeni said some developments in the country have been delayed because of the irregularities which led to the nullification of the 2019 presidential elections.
“There are other things like development projects which have been delayed because of the outcome of the tripartite elections. If the last election was conducted in a free and fair manner, we would have not been talking of another presidential election.
“We all need to be transparent when doing things related to this election, otherwise our country will not be developed as we will go to another election again,” said senior chief Mlonyeni.
He further urged the chiefs to avoid threatening their people to vote for a candidate of their choice.
Mlonyeni said the chiefs should know that their duty is only to mobilize people to go and vote.
Concurring with what senior chief Mlonyeni said, MEC civic and voter education assistant for the centre Emmanuel Mpambe urged the chiefs to inform their people to go and vote in large number.
Mpambe concurred with Mlonyeni that a lot of things have been delayed this time as the country is preparing for the elections.
“All registered voters should vote and be responsible for their vote so that we should not vote again, chiefs should be on the forefront informing their people to go and vote as well as checking their names if they are still on the voter’s roll,” said Mpambe.
He further said that chiefs should remember to tell their subjects that everyone who registered in the 2019 elections will vote this year even if they did not vote in the previous election.
Currently, MEC is issuing transfers and duplicate certificates to those who lost their voter certificates. The exercise started on 15 May and will end on May 19 in Mchinji, Mzuzu City, Mzimba, Ntchisi, Balaka, Zomba and Neno.
Malawians will vote in the 2020 fresh presidential elections following the nullification of the 2019 presidential elections by the Constitutional Court due to widespread irregularities.
The Supreme Court of Appeal on May 8 also upheld the lower court’s decision.
Well said my chief Mlonyeni