Renowned Human rights activists’ favors 50+1 system of electing President

By Robert Kumwenda

Renowned Human Rights activists Rafiq Hajat says the 50+1 system of electing president is the best way for Malawi to go.

Hajat said following the process where the country as has gone through as no president managed to get 50 percent of the total votes except the late Professor Bingu wa Mutharika who managed to get over 60 percent of the total votes in 2004 elections.

“We have to look at our constitution on what does it say on this issue. Section 78 sub section 8 it is clear on this matter. It all depends on who do we translate to be the majority of the electorate. The incumbent President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika got 36 percent of the total votes which means that 64 percent of the electorate did not vote for him and these people felt that were not represented,” he said.

Hajat who is also the Executive Director for Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI) said the special task force in the Law Commission came up with the same proposal to avoid seeing the country having a minority government.

He said that the 50+1 system is going to not goint to solve all problems Malawi is facing politically but he said it is better to implement all findings of the constitution review process that took place in 2007.

“The way forward is to implement the 50+1 system of election president and a second round to find the person who gets more than 50 percent of the total votes because we cannot say that we cannot manage to fund two elections if we can manage to lose 577 billion and all the money we have lost in all money gates is enough to fund two elections,” he said.

Hajat said what will be required now is for parliament to change the electoral law.