Dissemination of fake news not only misleads the public but also undermines confidence of electoral process—MEC

*  As MEC disputes as fake report of chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja resigning ahead of the September 16

* The chairperson remains fully committed to her role and continues to discharge her duties in line with her constitutional mandate

By Duncan Mlanjira

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is imploring on Malawians not to disseminate fake news on social media of September 13 general elections process saying, this “not only misleads the public but also undermines confidence of electoral process and the integrity of democratic institutions.

This is contained in MEC’s public statement, categorically disputing a message that is circulating on social media and other platforms, alleging that MEC chairperson, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja.

MEC thus calls on the general public that this news “is completely false and should be disregarded in its entirety,” saying: “We would like to categorically state that the chairperson remains fully committed to her role and continues to discharge her duties in line with her constitutional mandate.

“There has been no resignation, and no such development has occurred within the Commission. The Commission strongly urges members of the public and all electoral stakeholders to desist from fabricating, sharing, or amplifying false information, especially during this crucial period of electoral preparations.“

MEC also calls on all recipients of election-related information to verify if in doubt by checking on official MEC communication channels, including its website, press statements, and verified social media accounts.

Meanwhile, the MEC chairperson is hosting the Electoral Commissions Forum of the Southern African Development Community (ECF-SADC) countries’ chief electoral officers (CEOs) and executive committee meetings in Lilongwe — which concludes tomorrow (June 1-4).

The meetings are hosted by member commissions on rotational basis and provide a platform for knowledge exchange, regional collaboration, and strategic planning aimed at enhancing the delivery of democratic and credible elections in the SADC region.

And this year’s has given a platform to member commissions conducting elections in 2025 — Malawi, Seychelles, Tanzania and Zanzibar, to make presentations on their state of preparedness.

Ahead of the event, Justice Mtalimanja emphasised the importance of hosting the meetings, that it reflects MEC commitment — “not only to our national mandate, but also to regional cooperation in strengthening democratic electoral processes”.

“These engagements provide valuable space for sharing lessons, addressing common challenges, and advancing electoral professionalism. The executive committee of the Forum implements the policy decisions of the annual general conference.”

The ECF-SADC was constituted in July 1998 and operates with a structure that includes the conference, the executive committee and the secretariat and the Forum that MEC is hosting plays a crucial role in promoting free, fair, and credible elections within the region.

The members national electoral commission of Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, the Kingdom of eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.