Jane Ansah Resigns

The embattled Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson has finally resigned from her position after one year of resistance.

Ansah disclosed this on Thursday night in an exclusive interview with the state funded broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).

Ansah cited that she has decided to leave the commission because she respects the law of the land and not due to the pressure mounted on her by Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).

According to Ansah, she wrote the appointing authority of her decision to step aside from discharging MEC duties.

“I have written the President of my decision to step aside not based on the pressure but because of respect for law,” said Ansah in an interview with the stake broadcaster.

Her commission was admonished in the rulings by the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court ruling which both questioned actions of the Ansah led commission.

She has announced of her resignation after arguments surrounding the date when the elections will be held took another twist.

Today, the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Commitee agreed with MEC and the Attorney General for the poll to be held on 23 June and not the initially set 2 July in respect to the order for the poll to be held in 150 days since February this year.

Aftermath of May 21, 2019 elections, Ansah and all commissioners have been receiving resignation calls from different stakeholders for allegedly mismanaging the presidential elections.

Bur Ansah has been refusing to resign saying she was competent and had nothing to regret “my conscience is clean”

When, the opposition prayed to court for nullification of presidential elections, Ansah promised Malawians that she would resign if the Constitutional Court which was hearing the case rules against the commission’s findings, but she failed to respect her on words after the elections were nullified instead the commission went ahead in appealing against the court’s decision.

Following her decision, HRDC in conjunction with other stakeholders held a series of demonstrations with an aim of throwing her out of office together with all other commissioners, this again proved futile.

Mutharika on the other hand refused to fire her after being recommended by Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

The Supreme Court of Appeal agreed the below court that Ansah led commission failed to manage the elections hence they were incompetent.

The country is expecting to go to polls on June 23, 2020 to elect president.