In a joint press statement read on Wednesday during a press briefing held in Lilongwe, opposition parties including the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) and UTM party have expressed grave concerns about the integrity of the electoral process as Malawi approaches the 2025 elections.
Present at the briefing were DPP secretary general Peter Mukhito, DPP vice president Eastern region Bright Msaka, DPP spokesperson Shadreck Namalomba, UTM secretary general Patricia Kaliati, UDF Secretary General Genarino Lemani, AFORD SG Linda Limbe, Aford vice president Timothy Mtambo and other senior officials from the three parties.
According to Bright Msaka, the parties are worried that the elections might not be credible if their concerns are not addressed.
“The integrity of our elections, the cornerstone of our freedom, is undoubtedly under siege,” he stated.
The opposition parties alleged that Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja is compromised due to her links to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and have called for her resignation.
They also accused MEC chief executive officer Andrew Mpesi of being affiliated with the MCP and demanded his resignation.
Additionally, the parties questioned the National Registration Bureau’s (NRB) registration figures, describing them as “fake” and alleging that the NRB and MEC are “cooking up figures.”
The parties demanded that the NRB conduct registration in all centers where MEC will register voters to ensure all eligible voters are registered.
The parties also criticized MEC’s decision to engage Smartmatic, a company with a questionable track record, to supply electoral management devices and software.
They demanded that MEC explain why it settled for Smartmatic without conducting due diligence.
Other key concerns raised include MEC’s questionable decisions due to a lack of transparency and accountability.
The parties also expressed concerns over MEC’s decision to dump the 2019 software and procure new one.
Furthermore, they demanded manual transmission of results and involvement of independent auditors to inspect the MEC system.
The opposition parties warned that if MEC does not address their demands, they will call for nationwide demonstrations.
“Malawians want to see a credible election,” Bright Msaka emphasized.
Meanwhile, MEC is yet to respond to the concerns.
