Africa-Press – Malawi. As Malawi inches closer to the September 16 general elections, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has issued a searing condemnation of the political rot undermining the country’s electoral integrity, blasting those who stir panic over election technology while conveniently ignoring the real problem—the people who corrupt the process from within.
In a sharply worded statement released today, HRDC didn’t mince words: “Whether the system is manual or electronic, the integrity of the electoral process depends on the integrity of those managing it. It’s not the tool that rigs elections—it’s the hands that wield it.”
The coalition is responding to rising tensions and orchestrated violence by politically aligned groups, as well as an orchestrated smear campaign against the Smartmatic system—an electoral technology designed to bring transparency and efficiency to the voting process. HRDC says the hysteria around Smartmatic is a distraction by power-hungry actors terrified of losing control over a rigging culture they once ruled without resistance.
“This is not about technology. It’s about the death of backdoor deals,” the statement reads. “Smartmatic can’t be hacked by those who used to do so with impunity—and that’s exactly why it’s under attack.”
HRDC paints a bleak but truthful picture of Malawi’s electoral past: elections marred by violence, stolen votes, and a Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) often entangled in partisanship. “It wasn’t the machines that stole votes,” the coalition said. “It was individuals—from ruling parties, opposition parties, and yes, even within MEC—who used the system as a tool for their own survival.”
The HRDC isn’t merely pointing fingers—it’s laying down a line in the sand. It demands an independent MEC, one immune to pressure, bribes, or intimidation. It condemns political parties for treating elections as personal territory and fueling violence that threatens national peace.
“Democracy is not your inheritance. It’s not your playground. It does not belong to your manifestos or your egos. It belongs to the people,” the coalition warned political actors. “Those sending thugs into communities to disrupt the electoral process are enemies of democracy, not its defenders.”
In what reads like both a call to arms and a rejection of appeasement, the HRDC affirms its support for Smartmatic—not as a cure-all, but as a weapon against a system that’s long been rigged by human greed, not digital tools.
With a final rebuke, the coalition signals its refusal to back down: “This is no time for silence or compromise. Every vote must count. Every Malawian voice must be heard. Malawi deserves better—and we will not stop demanding it.”
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