The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has set up a legal team comprising 10 lawyers who will help the Commission in summarizing electoral complaints and submitting them to the Commission for determination.
MEC chairperson Chifundo Kachale said on Tuesday that the lawyers have been taken from the Ministry of Justice.
“The Complaints will be handled and resolved in accordance with the provisions of the law. The Commission will at the beginning of the determination of the national result deal will all matters that have been subject to complaints,” said Kachale.
According to the MEC chairperson, the Commission has provided each polling station with a Complaints Logbook used for recording of all complaints lodged at polling station level.
He added that Presiding Officers have been trained to deal and make decision on the complaints arising from their respective polling stations and the Commission has also provided a District Complaints Logbook for all complaints that may relate to the processes at the District.
All complaints logbooks will be carried together with all results records to the National Tally Centre.
Some of the complaints will be dealt with at the Polling Stations or at the District Tally Centre while other complaints will be dealt with by the Commission at the commencement of the determination of the national results.
“In accordance with section 113 of the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act, complaints alleging any irregularity at any stage if not satisfactorily resolved at a lower level of authority shall be examined and decided on by the Commission and where an irregularity is confirmed, the Commission shall take necessary action to correct the irregularity and the effects of such an irregularity.,” said Kachale.
On general complaints that do not directly relate to particular polling stations or district tally centre, Kachale said these may be physically lodged in writing at the National Tally Centre in Blantyre.
He added that MEC will also receive complaints submitted through the official email address [email protected] but he warned that the Commission will not entertain complaints submitted through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
