People in Mangochi East Constituency have petitioned the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec), asking it to announce new dates for a parliamentary by-election that was postponed.
In July this year, the Supreme Court of Appeal nullified Mangochi East Parliamentary Election results over electoral irregularities.
Following the court ruling, Mec announced that the by-election would be held on September 29, 2026.
The commission started preparations, candidates started campaigning, voters registered and verified their names in the voters’ roll.
However, Mec later suspended the process after the closure of its warehouse in Lilongwe by the landlord.
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The decision to suspend the by-election has not gone down well with constituents, who say staying without a lawmaker is costing them.
On Monday, residents petitioned Mec through Mangochi District Council.
A representative of the petitioners, Twaha Jonas, said failure to hold the election was undermining democracy.
“We want the commission to come up with new dates for the by-election. We voted, the court nullified the results and Mec has now gone quiet,” he said.
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Traditional Authority Katuli said the absence of a Member of Parliament was denying them a say in Parliament.
According to Katuli, the constituency is failing to follow up on Constituency Development Fund projects because there is no parliamentarian.
Meanwhile, Mec spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa has said the commission is yet to meet to decide on the new dates for the by-election because the reasons that forced the suspension remain unresolved.
