LILONGWE, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The South African Development Community Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) that was sent to Malawi to monitor the country's tripartite elections said Thursday that the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) was proactive, professional and impartial in the management of the electoral process.
While delivering a preliminary statement on the observation of how the MEC had organized the country's presidential, parliamentary and local government elections, Kalombo Mwansa, the alternate head of SEOM, said that the mission had consulted key political stakeholders in Malawi, including government departments, political parties, the civil society, traditional leaders, advocacy and religious groups, and the media.
He praised the MEC for holding inclusive and regular consultations and providing timely and accessible public information regarding all critical phases of the election process which included granting access to all political parties and candidates to witness the distribution and securing of ballot papers.
"In addition, all local and international stakeholders that the mission interacted with commended the MEC for their proactive, professional and impartial management of the election process," he said.
"The mission also noted the collective role that the defense and security sector played in providing security and logistical support for the distribution and storage of sensitive voting materials throughout Malawi," he said.
However, he said the preliminary statement only covers the observation of the pre-election process and voting day activities.
He said the final report will be released in 30 days.
Millions of Malawians across the country on Tuesday cast their ballots to elect a president, members of parliament and local government councilors for the next five years.
