Following the resignation of Malawi Electoral commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Jane Ansah today, as Malawians are slated to throng the polling booth on 23rd July 2020 to choose a President in a presidential election rerun that was directed by Constitutional court and later upheld its decision by a unanimous verdict of the supreme court that nullified the narrow election victory of President Peter Mutharika which had hitherto handed him a second term having gannered 38% in a hotly contested polls which was challenged successfully by his political nemesis the main opposition’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) ‘s Lazarus Chakwera who gannered 35% in the 2019 elections and jointly with Prof. Mutharika’s estranged Deputy President Saulos Chirima of United Transformation Movement (UTM) who gannered 20% . Malawi becomes the second country in Africa after Kenya to nullify the presidential election results.
Ansah has since been a target of nationwide protests calling for her to go over her handling of the disputed elections and how the constitutional court condemned Justice Ansah for organizing an election which was precipitated by a number of irregularities. Leading human rights activists had been planning a fresh wave of protests next week to force Ansah to step down. Though she denied that she was giving in to pressure.
Ansah’s resignation comes exactly after the last elections which were annulled by the constitutional court due to widespread systematic and grave irregularities and use of correction fluid in may 2019.
President Mutharika 79 and the electoral commission later appealed against the constitutional court rulling in supreme court. Supreme court found Mutharika and Electoral commission ‘s appeal “clearly unprofessional and embarrassing”
Later, Mutharika filled his nomination papers for the July rerun alongside his new running mate Atupele Muluzi a son to ex President of Malawi Bakili Muluzi who rulled Malawi from 1994- 2004. On the other hand, the Main opposition figures; Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima filled their nomination papers .the two parties; MCP and UTM formed a Grand coalition under Chakwera ‘s banner to maximize their chances of unseating President Mutharika.
Malawi is finding itself in an unchartered territory over 20years after the return of multi party democracy following the 1992 elections where the MCP leader who led Malawi to independence Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda the lion king of Malawi was dethroned following a tightly contested presidential election that was won by Opposition’s Bakili Muluzi thus putting to an end the one party state and the political presidential monarchy of Banda.
The resignation of Ansah following the nullification of Mutharika’s election victory further complicate the already aggravated situation making President Mutharika leave on a borrowed time as he has to expedite a process of naming a new electoral commission chief.
Malawians are heading to polls on 23rd July 2020 amidst corona as candidates have been addressing mamoth crowds without World Health Organization (WHO) sanctioned Standard operating procedures (SOPs); no social distancing, face masks etc. thus rendering Malawians to be exposed to the spread of the novel covid 19 pandemic. Wishing Malawians a peaceful elections.
Mulindwa Walid Lubega
FDC National Youth League Chairman
