Obsolete papers for 2014 tripartite elections to be disposed

Malawi Electoral Commission MEC has revealed that it will be disposing obsolete election papers for May 20, 2014 tripartite elections.

However, the commission has preserved electoral records from the constituencies whose results are contested in courts and their cases have not been concluded.

According to MEC this is in accordance with Parliamentary and Presidential Elections (PPE) Act Section 119 and the Local Government Elections (LGE) Act Section 102.

“According to those two sections of laws, the election records, which include voter registers, ballot papers, results records from districts and polling stations among others, are supposed to be preserved for one year,” reads the statement.

Signed by MEC Media and Public Relations Officer Sangwani Mwafulirwa the document says the Commission has been keeping the records at its warehouses located across the country and is now disposing them off.

It has explained that the Commission through an open and competitive tender process has identified Lonestar Recycling Limited to buy the papers for recycling purposes only.

MEC has disclosed that Lonestar Recycling came out the highest bidder with a purchase offer of K26 per kilogramme.

“To ensure smooth transfer of the obsolete electoral papers MEC will monitor the whole process of moving the obsolete materials from its warehouses in Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Blantyre to the Lonestar Recycling warehouses in Lilongwe,” adds the press statement.

It has therefore urged all stakeholders wishing to observe the process to do so at their own cost.