By Mercy Matonga:
The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) Wednesday defended its decision to hire Smartmatic International Holding B.V. (Smartmatic) to supply election management devices (EMDs) and the Election Management System for the September 16 2025 Local Government, Parliamentary and Presidential Elections.
Mec, in a statement which chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja has signed, is responding to concerns raised by three opposition parties: the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Alliance for Democracy and UTM.
“The Malawi Electoral Commission stands resolute in its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability throughout the electoral process.
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“We recognise the importance of collaboration with all stakeholders, including political parties, to ensure that our electoral management systems are effective,” Mtalimanja said.
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The three parties expressed concern over the way the electoral process was being conducted and questioned some decisions made by the electoral body.
Among their concerns was the hiring of Smartmatic, which allegedly mismanaged elections in some countries.
“The commission is always committed to the principles of due process, transparency and accountability, including in its procurement processes.
“Therefore, as requested, the commission wishes to assure the political parties that the contracting of Smartmatic was in accordance with the laws regulating procurement in Malawi, and that all the necessary due diligence was conducted to ensure Smartmatic has the required capabilities to deliver the EMDs and the EMS software,” Mtalimanja says.
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Regarding the new system of electronically transmitting election results, Mec says the amended law allows the commission to devise new means of managing results, including electronic transmission, to enhance efficiency.
Mec has also addressed concerns about the appointment of its chairperson and chief of elections, who were accused of having connections to the governing Malawi Congress Party.
“The appointment of members of the commission, including the chairperson, is governed by law. Specifically, under Section 75 of the Constitution, the chairperson is appointed by the President of the Republic of Malawi following a nomination by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
“The JSC is responsible for nominating a judge for the position of chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission. The JSC regulates its own nomination processes, ensuring the suitability of the nominee is assessed based on relevant criteria.
“In this case, the JSC would be in a better position to address concerns regarding the suitability of Honourable Justice Annabel Mtalimanja as chairperson of the commission,” the statement adds.
Commenting on the matter, DPP spokesperson Shadreck Namalomba acknowledged receipt of the response but said he could not comment further, as the concerned parties would need to sit down and discuss the way forward.
“I can confirm that we have received a response to the concerns we raised, and all political parties involved have yet to sit down and discuss the way forward,” Namalomba said.
