The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has settled for Charles Fodya, an information communication technology (ICT) specialist, for the position of commissioner for the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec), The Daily Times can reveal.
The party has submitted the name, for consideration, to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), replacing its earlier rejected candidate Mayamiko Nkoloma.
Nkoloma replaced another rejected candidate Mackford Somanje.
OPC Chief Communications Officer Geoffrey Kawanga is quoted in the press confirming that the DPP has submitted another nominee but did not give the name.
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But we have established that the party has submitted the name of Fodya.
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We have also established that Fodya has a PhD in computing and applied mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, a master’s degree in mathematical modelling and scientific computing from the University of Oxford, the United Kingdom, and a bachelor of science in computer science and mathematics from the University of Malawi.
Currently, he is operating as a senior consultant and entrepreneur in the consulting field.
Both DPP secretary general Peter Mukhito and publicity secretary Shadric Namalomba stayed mute when asked about Fodya and his profile.
But a senior member of the party confirmed Fodya’s name.
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Currently, the DPP has two Mec commissioners, who are Emmanuel Fabiano and Caroline Mfune.
The governing Malawi Congress Party has all the required three commissioners.
OPC was quoted Wednesday as saying that DPP’s submission was undergoing vetting and that the President would make the appointment if all requirements are met.
Dean of Law at the Catholic University James Kaphale said there was a big implication for a party to go to polls without a full bench of its commissioners because decisions of the commission are made by the majority of the commissioners through voting.
“If only one member from a single party fails to make it into the commission, that may jeopardise the party’s democratic right of participating in free and fair decision-making as the party with more members will dominate using its numerical advantage,” Kaphale said.
