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Electoral Commission chair Justice James Kalaile has disclosed that he intends to resign from the post but he has brushed aside suggestions that he is doing so following pressure from the civil society who have been calling for his resignation because of alleged illegularities during the May 20 elections.
In an interview on Monday Kalaile was noncommittal on the reasons that have made him consider quitting the post.
“I will make the reasons available to you when I am ready,” he said.
Kailaile also said he already informed President Bingu wa Mutharika of his decision, adding that the President should appoint new commissioners.
In a related development, the MCP and Mgwirizano Coalition obtained an order from the High Court in Lilongwe stopping the Electoral Commission from unsealing ballot boxes at its Blantyre warehouse.
The Commission spokesperson Fegus Lipenga said following an order from the court, which was brought by the People’s Transformation Party (Petra) president Kamuzu Chibambo during the exercise, the commission suspended the exercise with immediate effect.
“Our lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale will apply for the vacation of the injunction in the same court because this is a very important exercise,” said Lipenga.
Aleke Banda in an interview said the Mgwirizano Coalition and MCP decided to seen a court injunction “because the Mgwirizano Coalition have a case in courts against the Electoral Commission. We are not happy because the exercise may interfere with the court.”
Kalaile earlier in the day said the unsealing of ballot boxes was meant to take out materials that were sealed in the ballot boxes erroneously by presiding officers during the May 20 elections.
“These materials which include voter record cards, torches, paraffin lamps, manuals voter rolls were not supposed to be sealed in the ballot boxes. Some presiding officers due to pressure of work or fatigue ended up sealing them in,” alleged Kalaile.
He said the materials will be required during the forthcoming by-elections and there was need to take them out. He did not give more details on how the these materials will be used.
The other reason, Kalaile said, is that paraffin lamps may, with time, spill over the records and render them useless.
“The second objective of this exercise is to take out null and void votes realised during the just ended elections. The idea is to examine the null and void votes with a view to developing voter education materials that will address this in future elections,” Kalaile explained.
He said the exercise has been done transparently hence the involvement of political parties who contested the election.
“We wish to assure and show the nation and the world that there is no sinister intention in this exercise,” said Kalaile.
During the unsealing exercise, the ruling UDF and its partners in the so-called government of national unity were not available.
But MCP second vice president Nicholas Dausi said the absence of the partners in the UDF-led government shows that they manipulated the elections.
“Their absence to me it vindicates that they are self-guilty. This makes our case strong in the court. It gives us enough evidence because it vindicates the problem,” noted Dausi.
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