Commissioner Jean Mathanga of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says she will not resign from her position and she will serve the commission until the end of her contract.
Responding to questions at a MEC press briefing in Lilongwe today, Mathanga said she will continue discharging her duties until June 5 when her contract.
She also rejected an assertion from a reporter that she (Mathanga) is incompetent.
“I will not agree with you gentleman, I am not incompetent,” said Mathanga.
Since the 2019 elections, there have been calls for MEC commissioners to resign. The calls intensified after the Constitutional Court nullified the 2019 presidential elections in February over widespread irregularities.
The court’s decision was upheld on May 8 by the Supreme Court of Appeal which said that the gross violations of the Constitution in the 2019 elections demonstrated serious incompetence and neglect of duty on the part of the MEC commissioners.
The Supreme Court in its ruling ordered MEC to use the 2019 voter register in the 2020 fresh presidential elections.
Speaking at the press briefing, Mathanga said every person who voted in the 2019 elections will be eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential elections.
She said people who have not received a new voter certificate in the current registration exercise but registered for the 2019 elections will be allowed to vote.
“The ones who will not be allowed are those who have not transferred their names to a new centre and on polling day will still want to vote at the new centre. However, if they can manage to go to the centre where they registered, they will be allowed to vote,” said Mathanga.
Pa nyapako! Mufa nazo zimenezo!