Government, Malawi Electoral Commission Should End Their Drama

Since the September 15, 2025 Local Government, Parliamentary and Presidential Elections, there has been a ruinous relationship between the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) and the government.

At the centre of the hubbub is the government’s insistence that the electoral body should be abiding by executive orders while Mec believes that it cannot follow executive orders to relocate to Blantyre from Lilongwe because the issue of relocation was borne out of its strategic plan.

However, instead of discussing the issue and finding an amicable solution, the two parties have been fighting in the law courts, such that Malawians await the court outcome with bated breath.

Needless to say everyone in Malawi—including individuals, public and private sector players—has a right to seek the court’s redress.

In fact, when parties seek the courts’ recourse, it goes a long way in reaffirming observations that the country’s law courts enjoy the respect of everyone. No wonder, everyone does the needful when the law courts pronounce judgement on issues.

We, therefore, know that the relocation issue is in good hands; that is, the law courts are the best platform for resolving the issue once and for all.

As such, while court processes are ongoing, we expect parties to the issue to cast their vendetta aside, do what is expected of them, and wait for the courts to decide on issues.

We do not expect parties that are in court to be engaging in action that may be construed as punishment to the other party for seeking the court’s interpretation of laws.

We are, therefore, disappointed that sheriffs in Lilongwe yesterday sealed a Mec warehouse at Njewa, where the commission stores its equipment, after it failed to pay rent.

To make matters worse, Mec has indicated that before the expiry of the lease agreement, and in compliance with the government's expenditure control measures, as announced in February 2026, the commission sought the requisite government approval before executing the lease.

However, the commission claims that it is yet to receive a response from the government, hence the failure to live up to its part of the lease agreement.

We hope this will not compromise operations of Mec, which is a key stakeholder in election-related issues. Through the discharge of its mandate, Mec makes democracy happen.

We, therefore, hope that democracy will, at the end of the day, be the winner in whatever is happening.