By Suleman Chitera, Lilongwe
Enock Chihana, President of the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), has expressed concern over the growing number of presidential aspirants in Malawi, questioning the source of the hefty K10 million nomination fee many are paying to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).
Speaking in an interview, Chihana said it is puzzling how individuals whose personal bank accounts can hardly show K200,000 are able to produce K10 million just to collect presidential nomination papers.
“Some people are paying K10 million to MEC, yet if you check their accounts, you won’t even find K200,000. Where are they getting the money from? And it’s obvious they can’t win,” Chihana said.
He wondered whether such funds are being sourced through unscrupulous means or if people are being used by hidden political hands to crowd the ballot.
Chihana warned that this trend not only undermines the seriousness of Malawi’s electoral process but also raises suspicions of money laundering and political manipulation.
This year’s election period has already seen a record number of independent aspirants collecting nomination forms, a development some analysts have linked to political adventurism and personal publicity stunts.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Electoral Commission has maintained that the nomination fees are non-refundable and every candidate is subjected to the same electoral laws regardless of their perceived chances of winning.
As the nomination period continues, calls are growing for electoral reforms to set stricter requirements for presidential candidates in order to protect the integrity of Malawi’s democracy.
