Mec asks parties to inspect ballots Monday
The Malawi Electoral Commission(Mec) will Monday open boxes containing ballot papers for inspection in all constituencies where by-elections will be held tomorrow, a senior electoral official said on Sunday.
This exercise is meant to avoid potential election fraud and subsequent squabbles, which are a common occurrence in crucial elections.
“On Monday, October 16 2017 from 9am there shall be pre-inspection o f polling materials in all the polling stations. Presiding officers shall open the polling materials to check if they are in good order and quantity,” said Sangwani Mwafulirwa in a statement.
He said political parties, candidates and civil society organisations that will place monitors during polling are encouraged to send their monitors to the polling stations to witness this process.
“Be informed that this exercise shall proceed even in the absence of monitors,” he added.
Polling shall be on October 17 and centres shall open from 6 o’clock in the morning and close at 6 o’clock in the evening.
Before moving the ballots, Mec kept them at its headquarters under armed police guard. The room was sealed in the presence of monitors from contesting political parties, independent candidates and the police.
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