By Duncan Mlanjira

Copyright maraviexpress

We know the number of registered voters, we know the number of people who actually voted by district, which is the voter turnout

* What MEC chairperson is saying is simple arithmetic — if the results of any candidate or total number of votes in any district surpass the voter turn out; then due diligence will take place

By Duncan Mlanjira

Chief Economist for South Africa’s Don Consultancy Group (DCG), Chifipa Mhango, maintains that the official figures released by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) of those who voted on Tuesday’s general election, leaves no room for manipulation.

Chifipa, who is also national director of economic affairs for Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), says: “Malawian vote is under protection through a joker thrown by MEC — we know the number of registered voters, we know the number of people who actually voted by district, which is the voter turnout.

“What MEC chairperson [Justice Annabel Mtalimanja] is saying is simple arithmetic — if the results of any candidate or total number of votes in any district surpass the voter turn out; then due diligence will take place.

“While being vigilant, there is hope in the process,” said Chifipa, whose party is in an electoral alliance with the Democratic Progressive Party, which is leading — according to unofficial results being published by the mainstream media, including Malawi News Agency (MANA).

Last evening during a press briefing held at the National Tally Centre at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, Justice Mtalimanja announced that as of 19h00, MEC had received 28,506 records of results from polling stations translating into 69.19% of the total records of results that were expected to be transmitted.

For the three elections, MEC was expecting to get 41,198 records of results forms from all the areas where elections took place.

Meanwhile, some individuals — describing themselves as concerned citizens and defenders of Malawi’s democracy — have issued a public statement “demanding for immediate release of presidential election results alleging that the delay is orchestrated through high-level interference by senior members of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and certain MEC individuals including the Chief Elections Officer and key ICT personnel.

They are citing some unverified and questionable screenshots of WhatsApp group conversations purporting to try to manipulate the results, thus they claim the presidential election results are being deliberately delayed.

Yet yesterday, the Law Society of Malawi (MLS) defended MEC, emphasising and reminding reminded all political parties, candidates and the public that under Clause 8 of the Code of Conduct for Electoral Campaign, 2025, every candidate and political party solemnly undertook to acknowledge MEC’s authority and to refrain from any action that could interfere with its independence or impartiality.

The MLS thus appeals to all political parties and candidates “to desist from making statements that amount to declarations of victory based on unofficial results [and] further appeals to all candidates and political parties to respect the law, and to wait for the Commission to process, determine, and publish the results within the prescribed time frames.”

The statement, issued by MLS president, Davis Njobvu and Honorary Secretary Francis Ekari M’mame, emphasises MEC “is the only constitutional and statutory authority mandated to determine, declare, and publish the final results of all elections”.

“Pursuant to Section 98 of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act, the Commission is lawfully accorded a period of up to eight days, 14 days, and 21 days respectively to publish national results for the presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.”

The MLS also joins MEC in its call for all Malawians to respect the law and the established process, saying: “We echo the Commission’s appeal that:

(a) Political leaders must refrain from stirring public pressure against the Commission to release results without due consideration of the legally prescribed process;

(b) Political leaders must desist from making inflammatory statements that could create an unfavourable public orientation towards the Commission or incite public fear and discomfort; and

(c) Without infringing upon the fundamental freedoms of expression and the media, all leaders and media houses are strongly advised to refrain from providing a platform for utterances that could disturb public order, amount to insolence against the Commission, or be interpreted as implying a definitive victory

The MLS reiterates that it has a statutory mandate under section 64(d) of the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act “to protect matters of public interest touching, ancillary or incidental to law”.

Despite this emphasis from the Law Society, the three individuals that — include civil society activist, Gift Trapence — allege that MCP has held clandestine meetings with direct instructions to delay the release of presidential results, particularly from MCP strongholds.

The three individuals allege that the manipulation is reportedly being coordinated by Vitumbiko Mumba, with support from MACRA Director General, Daud Suleman and other party operatives, “who are overseeing tally centres and the extrapolation process”.

But the screenshots, which Maravi Express has in possession, are obviously fake to the eye, meant to deceive gullible people.