LILONGWE, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which is deployed to observe the May 21 tripartite elections in Malawi, arrived in the country on Wednesday, six days ahead of the polling day.
A statement released by COMESA Head of Governance, Peace and Security Elizabeth Mutunga on Wednesday said the team would be led by Ambassador Mohamed Ahmed Abdelghaffar Karrar, a member of the COMESA Committee of Elders from the Republic of Sudan.
The statement said the leader of the delegation would be arriving in the country on May 17, four days before the elections day.
"The observer mission comprises representatives from COMESA Member States and supported by members of staff from the secretariat," read the statement. "The deployment of the mission follows an invitation by the Government of Malawi to COMESA through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
According to the statement, the COMESA observers will undertake pre-election observation which will include consultations with political parties, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), security agencies, civil society organizations, the media and other relevant electoral stakeholders.
The pre-election observation is expected to inform the mission on elections-related issues and enable the mission to assess the preparedness of the respective stakeholders ahead of the elections.
"COMESA observation will be based on the Malawi electoral code of conduct, the constitution and other relevant instruments governing the conduct of elections," read the statement. "The observers will also engage with other election observer mission on the ground in the three regions of Northern, Central and Southern."
The findings of the observer mission are expected to be included into the detailed report which, according to the statement, will be submitted to MEC and the government of Malawi within 90 days from the election date.
Ballot papers for presidential, parliamentary and local government elections arrived in the country on Monday and Tuesday from the United Arab Emirates where they were printed and they are expected to be dispatched to the country's district councils on Thursday.
Of the seven presidential candidates contesting in the May 21 polls, Malawi President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) faces a tough competition from the main opposition leader, Lazarus Chakwera, of the Malawi Congress Party, and Mutharika's Vice President, Saulos Chilima, who formed his own party, United Transformation Movement (UTM) in June 2018.
Meanwhile, Mutharika dissolved his cabinet on Wednesday as per the dictates of the country's constitution and all the ministerial functions and responsibilities are to be handled by the president's office until a new cabinet is appointed after the May 21 elections.
