Parliament inquires Elections Chair

Public appointments committee of parliament PAC is inquiring chairperson of Malawi Electoral Commission MEC

Before the inquiry began Ansah made two humble requests to the chairperson of the committee.

She asked the committee to allow in the house her lawyer and secretary to help her because she has a lot of documents and present her letter to the committee.

“I received the notice on Friday and the commission agreed to write to the committee to allow them time to Mr Kabichi which was signed by Chief Executive Officer of the commission but it was ignored. The law stipulates of giving the respondent ample time to prepare and it was necessary for her and the commissioners to go through the judgment which is 500 pages,” Ansah says

In his response chair of PAC Collins Kajawa gave Ansah permission but said her lawyer and the secretary should not speak adding she can leave the letter to committee.

Kajawa stopped Ansah from answering a question on using tippex in all the three elections but she said they used it.

Ansah said she did not mislead Malawians on appealing petitions because are appealable but judicial reviews not.

She said they corrected all 147 electoral complaints and scrutinize results of all polling centres.

The MEC chair said parliament approved all legal reforms she brought to the house.

She said parliament approved all legal reforms she brought to the national assembly.

Ansah told the committee that no presiding officer who used tippex has been arrested contradicting Commissioner Elvy Mtafu who said they were nabbed.

She said if the commissioner said so she confused with another issue.

When quizzed whether that commissioner was lying Ansah said it was not what was on the ground but can be what the committee member thinks.

She said there was no rigging and fraud as the constitutional court had ruled out that

The MEC chair said the commission did not error in appealing to Supreme Court

Ansah rejected the sentiment that she denied Malawians the right to see what was written before because tippex deleted the original information.

She said the law allows chief executive officer of MEC to operate on behalf of the commission

Ansah added that if the Supreme Court finds her guilty she will resign but cannot do so after the constitutional court ruling because they used the past post elections system not 50 plus 1 which is in the laws.