Maravi

Malawi opposition leader links Rupiah to poll fraud

COMMENT - See the Nyasa Times article: Zambia’s VJ in rigging plot for Malawi, Nyasa Times, 23 April, 2009 01:04:00. And from The Post: Malawi opposition leader fears poll rigging by ‘some Zambians’. To quote:

"In a telephone interview from Malawi on his way to one of his campaign rallies on Sunday, Tembo said it was strange that ballot papers were printed and transported to Malawi from the United Kingdom without political parties' representatives witnessing the process.".

Malawi opposition leader links Rupiah to poll fraud
By Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 02 Aug. 2010, 04:02 CAT

MALAWI’s main opposition leader John Tembo yesterday claimed that President Rupiah Banda had sent “some people” to that country to help rig election results in favour of President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Reacting to President Wa Mutharika’s disclosure during a state banquet in Lusaka on Thursday that President Banda helped him in the campaigns to secure his second term of office last year, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Tembo, who lost to President Wa Mutharika in last year’s elections, demanded for a clear explanation from the Malawian President on what President Banda did in assisting him to win a second term of office.

“Bingu must explain better how he President Banda helped him win the elections,” said 77-year-old Tembo, a legislator for Dedza South and leader of the opposition in Parliament.

“There was a lot of rumour prior to the election and after the election that he was being assisted by his colleague from Zambia. He President Banda sent some people to tie up with the agents in Malawi to try and help in the rigging of elections,” Tembo said.

Tembo petitioned President Wa Mutharika’s victory but the Malawi High Court dismissed it on a technicality because the challenge was lodged after the stipulated 48 hours after election results were announced.

On Thursday night, President Wa Mutharika said: “Talking about political development, let me also disclose without embarrassing my brother Rupiah that he assisted me quite a lot in the campaign that just passed. As a result I had a landslide victory.”

Before the May 2009 presidential and parliamentary elections in Malawi, Tembo had told The Post that he was worried that “some Zambians” were in Malawi to help rig elections in favour of President Wa Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

“We are also worried by some Zambians who have come allegedly to help the government to rig the elections. They were in Lilongwe, now they went to Blantyre. They are in Ilovo Building,” said Tembo at the time.

And sources in Malawi had said MMD parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga was there to meet President Wa Mutharika at the time.

Efforts to contact Mwaanga for a comment had proved futile as his Zain Zambia mobile line, which was roaming, was just ringing without response.

However, when the phone went unanswered the message at the other end sounded: “Pepani amenemukuwaibelao sakuyankha. Chonde yetsanintso nthawi ina. Malawi chewa translated into English as: The mobile subscriber you have dialed is not answering, please try again later.”

Mwaanga’s secretary at his parliamentary office said he was not there.

“He is not in the office at the moment; he has gone for a meeting in town,” the secretary responded but could not tell when Mwaanga would return.

But when contacted, the secretary at his company office in Lusaka town said Mwaanga was at the parliamentary office.

But when reminded that the secretary at Parliament said he was at his office in town, the secretary responded: “He just passes through in the afternoon.”

Asked when Mwaanga was last there, the secretary responded: “He was here about two days ago.”

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, BINGU WA MUTHARIKA, CORRUPTION, ELECTIONS, RUPIAH BANDA, VERNON MWAANGA

posted by MrK @ 4:09 AM