By Isaac Salima:
Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has insisted that its position not to relocate to Blantyre remains until all issues surrounding the issue are resolved.
There have been legal battles since President Peter Mutharika ordered Mec and other institutions to relocate their head offices from Lilongwe where they had moved to.
The electoral body has been seeking clarification on whether the directive to relocate does not constitute unlawful interference with its independence in the discharge of its duties, functions and powers, as prescribed by the Constitution and the Malawi Electoral Commission Act.
Mec’s legal representative David Matumika Banda yesterday maintained that the commission’s position, which they communicated in a statement issued last month, still stands.
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“The position of the commission as communicated in that statement has not changed,” he said.
The statement clarified on the High Court’s ruling dated 27 February 2026, which had dismissed the said application.
“The commission noted that the matter was dismissed on procedural grounds and that the substantive constitutional issues raised were not determined by the court.
“On this premise, the commission has resolved that the issues, being constitutional in nature, must be properly and definitively determined by the Court. In this regard, the commission is taking appropriate legal steps to ensure that these matters are conclusively determined,” read the statement.
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However, Banda did not respond if they are pursuing the matter further.
This comes as the court recently also threw out an application by some three individuals who challenged Mutharika’s decision.
Mec’s stand is in sharp contrast to what the Attorney General Frank Mbeta told the electoral body to move its headquarters following the February court ruling.
Last week the Office of the President and Cabinet also indicated that it would not pay rentals to Mec’s head office at Capital Development House in Lilongwe.
OPC spokesperson Focus Maganga said that the government was paying rentals for Mec because their offices were in Lilongwe and since it is relocating, there was no need to pay the rentals.
The development came as property owners Capital Developments Limited, through property managers Mpico Ltd, said an offer for Mec’s continued office occupation expired without response from the electoral body.
In October last year, Mutharika ordered four government agencies to revert their offices to Blantyre and Zomba.
The four were Mec, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority, Malawi Housing Commission and Malawi Prison Services.
All the others complied.