Africa-Press – Malawi. The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has appealed for patience and calm as the transmission and tallying of election results continues across the country.
In its latest update, MEC reported that physical transmission of results forms from polling stations to Constituency Tally Centres is ongoing, while electronic transmission will begin once results are fully received at those centres.
As of 11:00 AM, several districts and cities—including Chitipa, Mzuzu City, Salima, Lilongwe City, Mangochi, Balaka, Machinga, Chiradzulu, Phalombe, Neno, and Luchenza Municipal—had completed the retrieval of results. Other districts were still in progress.
MEC stressed that only results it declares are legally binding. While stakeholders are free to conduct parallel vote tabulation (PVT), the Commission cautioned the public to treat such figures as unofficial.
Key Highlights from MEC’s Update
Premature Claims of Victory: Candidates and parties were urged to avoid declaring victory before MEC’s official announcement, as this risks undermining confidence and peace.
Threshold for Presidency: The presidential winner must secure more than 50% of the total valid votes cast—meaning more votes than all other candidates combined.
Legal Timelines: MEC is bound by law to release results within 8 days for the presidential race, 14 days for parliamentary, and 21 days for local government elections. The Commission emphasized it will not bow to external pressure or rush the process.
Security Measures: MEC is working with the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force to ensure tight security at tally centres, warning that any acts of violence or intimidation will be dealt with swiftly.
Ighembe Ward By-Election: The Local Government election in Ighembe Ward, Karonga was cancelled after two nominated candidates were mistakenly omitted from the ballot paper. A by-election will be scheduled, with MEC calling it an isolated case out of 509 wards.
Finally, MEC appealed to political leaders, party representatives, and media houses to act responsibly during this sensitive period—by avoiding inflammatory remarks, ensuring polling station results sheets are properly shared, and refraining from amplifying unverified claims that could disturb public order.
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