President Lazarus Chakwera has appointed four new commissioners of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), including three whose names were submitted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The DPP commissioners are Francis Lazaro Kasaila, Emmanuel Fabiano and Caroline Mfune. The other commissioner, Richard Chapweteka, was nominated by the Malawi Congress Party.
Appointment of the new commissioners comes after the High Court on June 2 fired four DPP commissioners, saying they were not duly appointed.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda gave nominating authorities seven days to submit names to be considered for appointment as commissioners.
The ruling followed a complaint by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) which argued that the amended Electoral Commission Act of 2017 gives parties with one-tenth of the parliamentary seats power to submit to the President a minimum of three nominees to be appointed as MEC commissioners.
The appointments mean MCP and DPP have equal number of commissioners.
Other MCP commissioners at MEC are Dr Anthony Mukumbwa and Mrs Olivia Liwewe.
