Malawi Electoral Commission wants a protected fund
The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has expressed the need for the Commission to have a protected fund to ensure smooth running of their operations.
This comes after Mec postponed indefinitely a voter registration and verification exercise for local government by-elections initially slated for June 23 following government’s delay in funding the polls within the current financial year.
Mec Chief Elections Officer Willie Kalonga said it was unfortunate that at the moment, the Commission relies on the benevolence of government to conduct elections.
“The expectation is that there will be a protected fund for the Malawi Electoral Commission the moment Parliament passes funding for the Commission. Those funds must be made available to the electoral body.
“This will help us because every time the Commission wants to conduct by-elections or any other electoral-related activities, we should not be going to the Treasury to beg,” he said.
Kalonga also said begging money from the Treasury whenever the Commission wants to conduct elections was not in line with principles of independence of an institution such as Mec.
“That is why we want a protected fund, and it should not just be on paper,” Kalonga said.
The Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn) faulted government for failing to accord the local government by-elections proper attention.
Mesn said government’s conduct undermines the importance of local government structures in the consolidation of democracy apart from undermining the important role councils play in development projects.
The election monitoring body further observed that the uncertainty undermines citizen participation and representation in that they are not fully involved in decision-making processes at local level.
The by-elections are expected to be conducted in the following wards; Luchenza in Luchenza Municipal Council, Zomba Central in Zomba City Council, Msikisi in Mangochi Town Counci, Chibanja in Mzuzu City Council and Khwawa in Karonga District Council.
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