The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has said preparations for by-elections in five constituencies and eight wards across the country are progressing well, stressing that the electoral body will capitalise on the challenges faced in the recent elections.
Mec is mandated by law to conduct by-elections to fill a seat in the National Assembly or council within 60 days after the day the position fell vacant.
Mec Commissioner Reverend Phillip Kambulire said the commission would soon convene to conduct a postmortem and map the way forward for the next elections.
Commissioner Kambulire said this when Mec handed over electoral materials that were used in the Northern Region during the September 16 General Elections to the Clerk of Parliament.
The commissioner said Mec has a system in place, including electoral materials, and that, soon, a date for the by-elections would be announced.
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“We already knew that we might hold by-elections in some areas and when we were planning the general elections, we foresee this happening in some constituencies and wards. So, we are set to hold these by-elections and once the commission meets and decides on the date, we will announce it for the public to know,” he said.
He further said Mec already presented its budget to the Treasury.
Deputy Clerk of Parliament responsible for Corporate Services Chikondi Kachinjika committed to ensure that the ballots are stored safely as stipulated by law.
“It is our job to keep these ballots for a specific period and we are going to keep them safe for reference,” Kachinjika said.
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Section 119 of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Election Act mandates the Clerk of Parliament to safely store used election materials for a period of 12 months after the elections
