Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson, Jane Ansah, has announced that she has stepped down from her position.
Ansah who is also Supreme Court Judge, had been receiving calls from the opposition parties, Human Rights Defenders Coalition and many Malawians to resign from the commission over the mismanagement of last year’s nullified May 21 presidential polls.
On Thursday night, Ansah told the state controlled broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Station, in a special programme both on the television and radio that she has written about the matter to the appointing authority, President Peter Mutharika, who is yet to respond to her.
“I am stepping aside as the chairperson and I have since written to the appointing authority…But he is yet to give me his response,” she said.
Ansah said she has decided to leave the commission in respect to the May 8 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling which upheld February 3 Constitutional Court ruling that nullified the 2019 elections.
The Supreme Court also faulted MEC’s management of the elections saying it demonstrated incompetence on the part of the commissioners.
Following the May 21 elections, there were violent protests throughout this country with people showing their anger and dissatisfaction over the 2019 presidential polls result which gave Mutharika who is a leader for Democratic Progressive Party a second term mandate.
But Ansah told MBC yesterday that she did not not resign because of the demonstrations organised by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition because they were lawless and not rightful and peaceful. She said resigning because of demonstrations would have been setting a bad precedent.
Fresh presidential elections are expected to be held next month.
It is welcome development that a justice of the highest court of the Land has at last decided to comply with the laws of the Land clearly indicating that she does not desire to be seen to be above the Law. However, there’s a possibilty, that the acting President, clearly believing that he cannot be under the laws of the Land and that he himself only is ABOVE THE LAW, probably because he is professor of law, will not assent to and accept Jane Ansah’s resignation. The likelihood of this happening is very high as evidenced by the acting President’s refusal to assent to the parliamentary bills. It remains to be seen what Jane Ansah’s subsequent response will be should the acting President refuse to accept her resignation. These two, let’s assume that Jane rescinds her resignation to comply with the acting President’s refusal, will then have clearly demonstrated that The Executive Arm of government is above the laws of the Land. I trust that there are provisions in our sacred constitution that are ably equipped to deal with these kinds of scenarios. I pray to God that our esteemed acting President will decide this time to remain true to his ‘swearing-in’ statement, with his hand placed on the Bible, to truly uphold and defend the constitution for the protection of our hard-fought-for democracy. May God Almighty execute His divine justice for the peace and prosperity of our only homeland.