By Pemphero Malimba:
The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has put its foot down, stating that it will not be compelled to terminate its contract with a company called Smartmatic International Holding B.V., despite calls for the action.
According to Mec, the Netherlands-based company was contracted to supply Election Management Devices (EMDs) for the 2025 polls.
Speaking during a National Elections Consultative Forum meeting held in Lilongwe, Democratic Progressive Party Director of Legal Affairs Chipiliro Mpinganjira urged Mec to consider terminating the contract, citing media reports that portray a negative image of the company.
Mpinganjira expressed concerns that it would not be ideal for the electoral body to work with a company suspected of engaging in bribery, corruption and other related malpractices in other countries.
“We do not want to have disagreements in the future regarding companies that have a poor history concerning elections in other countries,” he said.
In response to the concerns, Mec Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said the commission had followed the recommended procedures before awarding the contract to the company.
“The commission conducted due diligence by gathering more information about the company. We did not simply wake up one day and award the contract; there was a procurement process that the commission followed, which involved international bidding,” Mtalimanja explained.
She added that the company successfully delivered in Zambia, Kenya and Uganda, where its machines were used in their elections.
Mtalimanja further stated that the commission would only terminate the contract based on valid reasons.
“If we were to terminate a contract solely due to media reports, you would later say that Mec has wasted money by terminating the contract without due process,” she added.
She also advised the party and other concerned stakeholders to consult the commission for further information.
Mec is expected to use at least 6,500 EMDs for the 2025 elections.
The devices will replace the Biometric Voter Registration system that the commission used in previous elections.
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