Sabre rattling ahead of election

The stage is set for a hotly contested presidential election next year, and Malawi's senior clerics have signalled their intention to closely monitor the conduct of the presidential and legislative polls in May 2004. The African Church Information Service (ACIS) quoted Monsignor Boniface Tamani of the Roman Catholic Church as saying "we will have to carry out investigations to establish if there are ... questionable elements in the [Electoral] Commission, for the sake of free and fair elections next year". Two NGOs, one of which is headed by Tamani, reported that they would investigate members of the Electoral Commission "for partisan conduct frustrating expectations for free presidential, parliamentary and local government elections", ACIS reported. Rafiq Hajat, of the Blantyre-based Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI), told IRIN on Thursday there was "a lot of sabre rattling going on", which was "basically meant to ensure that next year's elections are free and fair". He added that, following the controversy around the aborted attempt to secure a third term for President Bakili Muluzi, "everybody is looking forward to these elections". "It's occupying the spotlight on the national stage and is very much in the nation's consciousness, as it is a crucial one," Hajat said. A key issue in the upcoming elections will be the humanitarian crisis, from which Malawi has largely recovered, although there are remaining pockets of need in rural parts of the country. At the height of the crisis millions of Malawians were dependent on food aid to stave off hunger. "People are saying that the crisis would not have occurred if there had been good management in the first place," Hajat noted. The government was heavily criticised for selling off the country's strategic grain reserves at a time of food shortages. The state of the economy was also expected to be a central theme in campaigning. "Our local currency, the Kwacha, has depreciated so badly in recent days - [to the point] where you pay US $1 for about K110. The currency has depreciated by 20 percent in the last quarter, and this has had a knock-on effect on the price of all basic commodities, including the price of fuel," Hajat added. The fuel price "went up again just yesterday [Wednesday], and all of these increases lead to extreme hardship in the rural areas, where people live hand to mouth". "When fuel goes up by 10 bucks, you and I will complain but still fill up and have a gin and tonic in the evening. But for the rural poor, it's the difference between life and death," Hajat explained. At least 70 percent of Malawians live in rural areas. "This state of affairs - the hardship of life - is going to be a major talking point during the election," he added. In April, Muluzi announced that the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) had selected Bingu wa Mutharika as his successor, effectively ending attempts to allow Muluzi a third five-year term of office. A president is allowed two consecutive terms by the Malawi constitution. The bid to have Muluzi serve a third term, and the proposed constitutional amendment to allow it, heightened political tensions in Malawi. The move was opposed by human rights groups, the diplomatic community, the clergy and opposition parties. The five main opposition parties have formed an alliance to contest the election, but they have yet to put forward their presidential candidate. "They're searching around for a very credible, neutral person," Hajat said.