By Vincent Gunde
A Concerned citizen of Malawi writing of his face book page, has expressed fears that after the 16th September, 2025 elections, Malawi will no longer be a peaceful country as it was yesterday, the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja will be held accountable for this.
The citizen says the integrity of Malawi’s democracy remains at stake following Mec’s rejection for independent ICT Auditors to audit the software planted in the machines to be used for transmitting results from constituency tally centres.
She says rejecting independent auditors has fueled public suspicion that Mec has failed to discharge its duties in the interest of all political parties and electoral stakeholders and that it is not ready to deliver free, fair and credible 16th September, 2025 elections.
The citizen’s food for thought judgement has been welcomed by many social media users that auditing the voters roll would have restored public confidence in the electoral system that many registered voters would have to come out on the polling day to vote for candidates of their choices.
One contributor, Mrs. Asiyatu Ndeule said allowing independent ICT auditors would have given Mec to restore its lost trust the citizens have over it following concerns from the general public right from the voter registration exercise which up to this day, have not been resolved.
Speaking during a media conference in Lilongwe, Mec Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja appealed to all electoral stakeholders to refrain from misinformation and disinformation of the electoral issues saying Mec remains open and available to address concerns and suggestions so that they move together to deliver free and fair elections.
Justice Mtalimanja also called on the media to be responsible to correct the wrong narratives and not to be part of the wrong so that together they build the country by not creating crisis and chaos when there’s none ahead of the 16th September, 2025 elections.
She said Mec will do what it has been mandated by the law to provide free, fair, transparent and credible elections and will ensure that the elections be peaceful assuring all that on the polling day, energy supply will not be an issue, Mec has borrowed gas lamps from Zimbabwe.
“We have not received concerns from political parties, this is a clear sign that Mec is ready to deliver credible elections,” said Mtalimanja.
Meanwhile, the Concerned Citizens of Malawi-People Power Movement has called for peaceful demonstrations against Mec arrogance saying NO to Smartmatic machine, NO to electric transmission of results and pleading with Mec to allow external auditing for the voters’ roll.
The peaceful demonstrations will take place on the 11th June, 2025 from Crossroads open ground to the Lilongwe District Council to deliver a petition in Osafooka, Osatopa and Osaopa slogan until the will of the voters are respected.
