MEC TO BE BLAMED IF MZIMBA-MBALACHANDA WARD CONTESTING CANDIDATES LOSE BY-ELECTION

Contesting candidates for Mzimba-Mbalachanda ward by-election have announced that they will blame Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) if they lose the election slated for October 7 this year because they do not have money to conduct campaign.

MEC cancelled the election of councilors at Mbalachanda ward at eleventh hour during the 20th May tripartite elections citing logistical challenges.

FOM speaking to one of the contesting candidates, Davis Manda said MEC would be responsible if he loses the by-election because he does not have enough money to redo campaigning in all the 21 centres of the ward.

Manda further announced that the cancellation of the voting during the tripartite elections has affected them a lot financially because most of them spent huge sums of money to cheer voters and it is a challenge to redo the whole exercise again.

MEC messed up the whole electoral process on their own and we are just suffering the consequences of their mistake which is very unfair. I drained all my resources during the previous campaign, and where am I going to get money again for campaign, wondered Manda.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Moses Kamanga said he is concerned that most of their fellow councilors have already started working in their various areas while Mbalachanda ward is lagging behind.

However PP candidate Palipose John Chipeta has also blamed MEC for not consulting them as candidates when it decided to cancel the elections in the ward.

MEC just cancelled the elections on their own without consulting us and yet people voted for three days which could have accommodated our ward as well, said Chipeta.

Meanwhile only three candidates have confirmed their participation in the by elections and no new candidate has shown interest to join the race in the ward.