Relief over appointment of new elections commissioner

President Bingu wa Mutharika has appointed Supreme Court judge Justice Anastazia Msosa as the new chair of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), a decision that has won cross-party support. The appointment comes two months after former MEC chairperson Justice James Kalaile announced his resignation, following heavy criticism by civil society and international observers for his handling of the May general elections. Msosa is not new to the commission. She was picked by former head of state Hastings Kamuzu Banda to head the MEC during the country's first multiparty elections in 1994 after 30 years of single party rule. "Basically, we are happy with her appointment as chairperson. This demonstrates a high level of maturity to do things [right]. Msosa handled the 1994 elections properly, and the conditions at that time were worse than they are today," said Public Affairs Committee (PAC) chairperson Father Boniface Tamani. PAC was one of the religious organisations that were critical of Kalaila's performance in both the 1999 and 2004 elections. "The country expects Msosa to restore the credibility of the MEC. She should study the situation first, and make recommendations on how to make the commissioners neutral," said Tamani. Chancellor College Law Lecturer Edge Kanyongolo suggested the new commission boss needed to make a quick review of the legal framework under which the MEC operated. "Some people did not agree that the MEC did not have enough powers to act on certain complaints, such as the way the public broadcaster handled the elections," he said. Speaking on the privately owned Capital Radio, Msosa said she was aware of the challenges in taking up the new post. "I know that people have talked a lot about the electoral commission. Every job has rules and the Malawi Electoral Commission operates under the constitution," she said, calling for mutual trust between the MEC and political parties. Malawi's May ballot was plagued by irregularities, according to international and local observers. The EU delivered a damning report, slamming the way the elections were handled by the MEC, and concluded the polls had not been fair. The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Mgwirizano Coalition contested the presidential results in the High Court, accusing the MEC of rigging. The MCP and the ruling United Democratic Front this week welcomed Msosa's appointment.