Malawi: AG Cracks Whip On MEC - 'Nothing Can Stop Relocation to Blantyre'

A fresh showdown has erupted between the government and the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), with Attorney General Frank Mbeta declaring that there is "nothing" standing in the way of the electoral body's relocation from Lilongwe to Blantyre.

In what appears to be the strongest warning yet to MEC, Mbeta insisted that President Peter Mutharika's Executive Order directing the commission to return its headquarters to the commercial capital must be obeyed.

"This is an Executive Order which must be complied with. On the other hand, there is nothing to prevent the implementation of the Executive Order," Mbeta told The Daily Times.

The Attorney General further dismissed MEC's reliance on ongoing legal proceedings as justification for remaining in Lilongwe.

"Legal issues alone cannot justify MEC's position not to relocate to Blantyre," he said.

His remarks set the stage for an intensifying standoff between the government and the electoral body, which has repeatedly resisted the directive despite mounting pressure from State authorities.

Last week, MEC reaffirmed its refusal to move, with its legal representative, David Matumika Banda, making it clear that the commission's position remains unchanged.

"The position of the commission, as communicated in that statement, has not changed," Banda said.

At the heart of MEC's resistance is a constitutional battle it insists has not yet been conclusively settled by the courts.

The commission argues that although the High Court dismissed its application on February 27 this year, the case was thrown out on procedural grounds rather than on the substantive constitutional questions it raised.

"The commission has resolved that the issues, being constitutional in nature, must be properly and definitively determined by the court," MEC said in a statement, adding that it is taking further legal steps to seek a final determination.

However, the commission has remained tight-lipped on whether it has formally lodged fresh court proceedings.

The legal setbacks have continued to pile up. The courts recently dismissed a separate challenge brought by three individuals seeking to overturn President Mutharika's relocation decision, strengthening the government's hand.

Meanwhile, the pressure on MEC is no longer confined to the courtroom.

The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has effectively turned up the heat by announcing that it will no longer pay rent for MEC's offices at Capital Development House in Lilongwe.

OPC spokesperson Focus Maganga said government had only been covering the rental costs because MEC was