Malawi's electoral chair resigns ahead of presidential election

Opposition supporters participate in a protest march in Lilongwe on June 20, 2019, to force Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson Jane Ansah to resign. FILE PHOTO | AMOS GUMULIRA | AFP

What you need to know:

  • The resignation has come after the Malawi constitutional court in February upheld the opposition leaders' petition and nullified the May 2019 presidential election results on grounds of irregularities including manual alterations and use of tippex on the results sheets to change the figures.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah has announced that she has resigned from her position as MEC's chair.

The MEC leader has confirmed the resignation during an exclusive interview with the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday. She has also disclosed that she has written President Mutharika about the decision.

Ansah said the decision has stemmed from the fact that top courts in Malawi has faulted the commissioners for mismanaging the 2019 presidential election.

The resignation has come after the Malawi constitutional court in February upheld the opposition leaders' petition and nullified the May 2019 presidential election results on grounds of irregularities including manual alterations and use of tippex on the results sheets to change the figures.

Political commentators and activists are asking President Mutharika to appoint new commissioners for the sake of credibility during the next presidential election.

Malawians are expected to go into polls on June 23 to select a new state president despite the threat of Covid-19.