From bench to ballot: Justice Jane Ansah’s path to the Vice-Presidency

* Before her entry into active politics, Ansah had already built an illustrious career defined by ‘firsts’ * A retired judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal (2011 to 2016), she became Malawi’s first female Attorney General in 2006 * She also played a pivotal role in Malawi’s democratic processes as MEC chairperson between 2016 and 2020, during which she presided over one of the country’s most contested electoral periods By Leah Malimbasa, MANA In 1970s, a young…

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UTM’s Kabambe cleared path for a once-off poll percentage victory

* The former Reserve Bank Governor was expected to command enough votes to prevent either of the two main rivals, MCP’s Lazarus Chakwera and DPP’s Peter Mutharika from crossing the majority threshold in the first round * To the contrary, UTM hugely underperformed such that the presidential contest effectively became a two-horse race between MCP and DPP * Kabambe polled only about 4.0% of the national vote, dashing expectations of a tight three-way contest and extinguishing any real chance…

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DPP chastises its party cadres for harassing MBC personnel and uttering negative comments against the judiciary

* Bans them from displaying ‘Ana aDad’ car number plates and scrambling for ‘Migodi’ at bus depots and markets By Duncan Mlanjira The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary general, Peter Mukhito has issued a statement chastising its party cadres who harassed Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) personnel covering the victory speech of President-elect Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) and uttering negative comments against members of the judiciary “in the name of the party”. Mukhito first congratulated the DPP community for their…

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Mutharika’s heroic comeback after five-year hiatus

* It is a dramatic reversal of fortune because Mutharika, not only reclaimed power from Lazarus Chakwera but also set a political record of twice defeating incumbents, a wave blowing across Africa in recent years * Pre-election surveys by the Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR) consistently showed Mutharika ahead of Chakwera * In the initial opinion survey, he polled 43 percent compared to Chakweras 26% — a 17-point lead that, while narrowing slightly in subsequent polls, remained…

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MEC gazettes results of the presidential election including irregularities that Chakwera demanded and went to court for

* As MEC chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja declares that Peter Mutharika is the 7th President of the Republic of Malawi, who attained 3,035,249 votes representing 56.75% of the total valid cast * Lazarus Chakwera came second with 1,765,170 (33.0%); UTM’s Dalitso Kabambe 3rd with 211,413 (4.0%); UDF’s Atupele Muluzi 4th with 102,744 (1.9%); and People’s Party’s Joyce Banda 5th with 86,106 (1.6%) By Duncan Mlanjira Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has gazetted the results of the September 16 presidential election…

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Chakwera profoundly applauds MEC chairperson Justice Mtalimanja for ably steering  September 16 election’s long and complex process

* However, asks MEC to fully address irregularities that MCP submitted with flying colours to ensure that Malawi electoral process and democracy is stronger moving forward * As he congratulates Mutharika on his historic victory and wishes him well in his upcoming tenure as the 7th President of the Republic of Malawi By Duncan Mlanjira Outgoing President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has conceded defeat from the September 16 presidential election and has since congratulated President-elect Arthur Peter Mutharika on his…

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The concept of sampling in statistics; the failure to listen

Peter Mutharika and his running mate Jane Ansah * Months before the election date, when surveys were being done that pointed towards a Peter Mutharika victory, the Malawi Congress Party did not listen to the message and suppressed it at all cost * When you see the outcome and reality of the results, the MCP is still suppressing the results. The culture in MCP has always been about covering the truth and allowing for pathological lying to prevail By…

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No tactic from political parties or stakeholders will pressure MEC to declare results before due process is complete

* Fully committed to meeting the eight-day deadline without compromising accuracy and integrity as MEC is working tirelessly, day and night, to complete the exercise * Each set of results undergoes a strict process of verification, reconciliation, and validation before being accepted * This procedure takes time, but it is essential to guarantee that every figure announced is accurate and credible By Duncan Mlanjira As political parties and stakeholders are disconcerted over the delay to declare the presidential winner…

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Chief Economist Chifipa Mhango proposes 11-point plan for RBM’s monetary policy framework setting a 12 months deadline

The Reserve Bank of Malawi * Malawi doesn’t need exotic tools — it needs credible commitment, a working foreign exchange market, disciplined liquidity, and fiscal backup * Get those four right, and inflation falls, reserves rise, and the policy rate can safely decline — unlocking investment and jobs By Duncan Mlanjira As the nation awaits the final declaration of the September 16 presidential election, Chief Economist for Don Consultancy Group (DCG) outlines a 11-point plan which the next administration…

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MCP to accept outcome of the polls—running mate Mumba

* The ability to declare the rightful winner is in the hands of MEC and we have full confidence  in the Commission about the outcome * MCP believes that concerns it raised over alleged irregularities in the ongoing tallying of results from the elections will be addressed accordingly * As Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expresses confident in the September 16 election outcome By Sheminah Nkhoma & Patience Longwe, MANA Malawi Congress Party (MCP) running mate, Vitumbiko Mumba says the…

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