The funders of Malawi election, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says will not be able to provide K8 billion it pledged towards the Fresh Presidential Election (FPE).
MEC Chairperson, Justice Dr. Jane Ansah SC told media in Blantyre on Thursday that UNDP wrote the Commission that they will not provide the funds because “there are no legal framework within which the election will be conducted.”
She added that COVID-19 was another reason UNDP gave for the withdrawal of the funding.
“Therefore, we still have a shortfall of K8 billion in our budget for the election,” said Dr. Ansah.
MEC pegged the election at K43 billion.
She was addressing the media at Mt. Soche hotel after completion of presentation of presidential nomination papers in the run up to the July 2 election.
Dr. Ansah, however, was elusive on possibility of conducting the election on July 2 considering the short period of time remaining and events that are required to be done.
“A well prepared election requires about 18 months but all that has been squeezed into 150 days. On whether we will have the election on July 2, I will say we will cross the river when we get there. I will not say much on that one,” she said.
The Commission is holding voter registration exercise and campaign at the same time as it race against time to July 2.
The Constitutional Court ordered the Commission to hold the election within 150 days from February 3rd 2020 when it annulled the May 21, 2019 presidential election
