MEC to take a week to announce Presidential results in 2014, a fortnight for Parliamentary results

Reports indicate that the country’s elections managing body, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) will take a week to announce the winner of the 2014 presidential race in the tripartite elections.

This decision stands in an apparent contrast with tradition which has seen the body making the announcement within 24 – 48 hours of the voting. However, it seems that Malawians should accept that the tradition is degenerating into unreal dreams.

According to the same reports, MEC will take two weeks to announce winners of the parliamentary race in the same elections.

The development has sent fear amongst some people saying that the nation might degenerate into chaos with the extended period especially as there are many rumour mills on Facebook that will basically send out wrong information to people declaring their own winners.

Others have even cautioned that the time provides a space for rigging by the ruling party and, therefore, throwing the whole process into anarchy.

There was no immediate reaction from MEC as we published.