Some Malawians have questioned the appointment of Andrew Mpesi as the new Chief Elections officer for Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), alleging that Mpesi is a member of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
The development comes as MEC announced that it has hired Mpesi as the chief elections officer after he emerged successful during interview which the commission conducted recently.
“I can confirm appointment of Mr Andrew Mpesi as MEC Chief Elections Officer. He came out successful in interviews conducted by the Commission,” confirmed MEC PRO, Sangwani Mwafulirwa.
However, several individuals have expressed dissatisfaction with the appointment saying the new chief elections officer is a member of the ruling MCP.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) through Chimwemwe Chipungu who is the national organizing secretary, says the party is surprised with the appointment of Mpesi as MEC chief elections officer.
Chipungu told the local media that he believes that the appointment is a deliberate move by the ruling parties aimed at disrupting the democratic elections that are slated for 2025.
On the other hand, politician Gift Nkolokosa has been quoted in in the media saying nobody is faulting Mpesi on his qualifications or based on which part of Malawi he comes from, but rather his political stand.
“All we are saying is that he should tell Malawians that he was never an active member of the Malawi Congress Party, he never served Chakwera as his personal assistant somewhere around 2019.
“He was never in charge of training MCP election monitors and that he promoted MCP and president Chakwera on social media. If he cannot give evidence to the contrary then he is not the right person for the job,” said Nkolokosa.
He added that Malawians forced former MEC chairperson Jane Ansah out of MEC because she was perceived to be compromised and in the same token Malawians need not allow any person no matter how qualified he is academically to occupy the position of CEO or Chairperson for MEC.
However, Yusuf Mwawa, acting publicity secretary for United Democratic Front (UDF) has told the local media that the party has no problem with the appointment of Mpesi and says they expects him to be impartial in all MEC activities.
Before being hired by MEC, Mpesi worked for USAID Malawi as Governance Specialist. He holds Master of Arts (Political Science), Bachelor of Arts (Public Administration) and Postgraduate Diploma in Health Systems Management. He is studying for PhD in Development studies at the University of Malawi.
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