MEC suspends voter registration exercise in Blantyre City

 

By Duncan Mlanjira

Following attacks by armed and angry mobs at various voter registration centres in Blantyre, especially in Ndirande where registration equipment was vandalized and destroyed, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has suspended the voter registration exercise in Blantyre City with immediate effect.

A statement from MEC chairperson Justice Jane Ansah, SC issued Tuesday evening, says the “decision has been made to protect the lives of registrants, voter registration staff and MEC property following sporadic attacks by unknown mobs, who blamed the Commission for continuing with voter registration amidst the threat of COVID-19 pandemic.

“Stakeholders are informed that on Saturday, 11th April 2020, the Commission filed an application with the Supreme Court of Appeal for orders or directions to vary the Constitutional Court order in view of the coronavirus threat.

“The Commission will, immediately after Supreme Court determination on the matter, advise the nation on the future of voter registration in the affected centres,” says the short statement.

MEC’s request to have the electoral process suspended due to Coronavirus was referred to the Supreme Court of Appeal by the High Court as the Constitutional Court.

This was the first phase scheduled for Blantyre District, Blantyre City, Chitipa, Karonga, Salima, Dedza, Ntcheu, Chikwawa and Nsanje, which started on April 4 and was supposed to end on Friday April 17.

But on Tuesday morning, thugs stormed various centers of Ndirande (Makata, Namalimwe and Blantyre Secondary Schools) accusing the exercise of endangering people’s lives by proceeding with the electoral process amid the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

One man is reported to have been arrested by police at one of the centres.

The second phase for April 21-May 4 is scheduled to involve 10 districts — Rumphi, Likoma, Mzuzu City, Mzimba, Lilongwe District, Lilongwe City, Thyolo, Luchenza Municipal, Phalombe and Mulanje.

Third phase for May 8-22 is for 8 districts — Nkhata Bay, Mzimba, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Dowa, Balaka, Neno and Mwanza.

The last phase for May 25-June 7 is for nine districts — Kasungu District, Kasungu Municipality, Mchinji, Mangochi District, Mangochi Town, Machinga, Zomba District, Zomba City (central) and Chiradzulu.