The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has said no to a request by five opposition parties to check its Election Management System (EMS). The parties had asked for an independent audit to make sure the system is working well and is fair. MEC refused the request, saying the Commission is independent under the law and that the audit request had legal and technical problems.
The five parties — Alliance for Democracy, Democratic Progressive Party, United Democratic Front, People’s Party, and UTM Party — are not happy with MEC’s answer. They said they will wait before giving a full public response because they need more time to understand MEC’s reasons for saying no.
In a strong letter sent to the parties’ secretary generals, MEC chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja said the parties were spreading wrong information and asking for an audit based on false ideas and claims with no proof. The opposition parties sent their request on May 23, 2025.
They asked for a deep investigation into the EMS system, saying they were worried about problems with data and whether the system could be trusted for the 2025 elections. But MEC said these worries are not backed by any real evidence. “The way the audit was planned looks more like a serious investigation than a normal ICT check-up. It already assumes something is wrong, without showing any proof,” said part of MEC’s letter dated June 6
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has pushed back against claims by opposition parties regarding irregularities in the voter register. According to the Commission, it was the first to report issues such as duplicate voter entries and photo mismatches during its discussions with stakeholders. MEC has since criticized the parties for misrepresenting these disclosures as discoveries made on their own.
Referring to Section 76 of the Constitution, MEC stressed that it operates independently and is legally shielded from outside interference. It further explained that unless a formal petition or complaint is filed, there is no legal basis requiring it to undergo an external audit. MEC added that none of the parties submitted any complaints by the end of the voter register inspection period.
The Commission also reminded the public that it shared the full electronic voter register with all political parties on May 12. This move was intended to give the parties an opportunity to review the data and raise concerns. Since no formal objections were filed, MEC argues that the demand for an audit lacks sufficient grounds.
On a technical level, MEC took issue with the audit proposal itself, saying it referenced systems like automated voting, e-voting, and electronic vote counting—technologies not used in Malawi. It claimed the audit plan seemed based on generic documents related to Smartmatic systems, which do not apply to MEC’s own, custom-built Election Management System (EMS). The Commission pointed out that the proposal failed to reflect how its system actually works.
MEC also raised concerns about security, warning that giving outside auditors access to its core systems could compromise the election process and weaken the Commission’s independence. The Commission affirmed that it has internal checks in place and will continue to follow national laws and global best practices for election management.
To ease public concerns about transparency, MEC announced it will use a mixed approach when transmitting results—both electronic and manual methods will be used from district centres to the national tally centre.
Opposition Reacts with Caution and Criticism
Reacting to MEC’s decision, UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala said the party will take time to study the Commission’s explanation before responding fully.
“We don’t make quick decisions. As UTM, we’ll take the weekend to go through MEC’s response before making a public statement,” he said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary general Peter Mukhito, however, criticized MEC’s position, calling it a missed chance for the Commission to prove its transparency.
“MEC has passed up an opportunity to clear itself of the serious accusations surrounding the upcoming September elections,” Mukhito said. “This audit would have helped build public trust and shown that the Commission has nothing to hide. In fact, MEC would have gained more from this than the political parties.”
Mukhito also rejected MEC’s legal defense, saying similar audits have been carried out in the past. He added that opposition parties plan to meet soon to decide their next steps. However, he was clear that the DPP will no longer support the electronic transmission of election results.
Call for Continued Dialogue
As tensions rise over the credibility of the 2025 elections, MEC’s refusal to allow an external audit is likely to widen the gap between the Commission and the opposition. Still, some voices are calling for calm and dialogue.
Boniface Chibwana, a governance expert and head of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy, said MEC’s response shouldn’t be the final word. He urged all parties to keep engaging.
“We haven’t seen the details of the opposition’s audit proposal, so we can’t jump to conclusions. But this conversation shouldn’t end here,” Chibwana said. “This is an issue of trust among stakeholders, and it must be resolved before the elections. Everything should be settled ahead of time.”
