BLANTYRE, Malawi, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Women in Malawi will hit the streets Wednesday to protest calls by some civil organizations and the opposition for the country's electoral body chief Jane Ansah to resign.
The Forum for Concerned Women, led by Mary Thom Navicha, minister of Gender, Children, Disabilities and Social Welfare, announced Monday that they would also protest Wednesday in defense of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chair.
The minister said any attack against Ansah was an attack on all women in Malawi, hence the urge to hold the protests in the commercial city of Blantyre.
Ansah has come under fire since May 27, when she declared incumbent president, Peter Mutharika, winner of the May 21 presidential elections to the disappointment of the opposition, who, along with civil society organizations led by Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), have been conducting a series of protests to force the MEC chair to resign.
The latest protests on July 4 and 5 turned violent in some cities and districts across the country as some protesters burned and looted public offices and private property.
Ansah described the demonstrations against her as mob justice in an interview with a local broadcaster Zodiak.
Meanwhile, the opposition, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the United Transformation Movement (UTM), are seeking nullification of the election results on the grounds of rigging.
