US embassy cable - 04LILONGWE381

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000381 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PINR, MI, Political Issues 
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION UNHAPPY DESPITE MODEST MEC IMPROVEMENTS 
 
REF: A. 03 LILONGWE 1202 
 
     B. LILONGWE 326 
 
SUMMARY 
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1. (SBU) The Malawian Electoral Commission (MEC) announced 
the newly "cleaned-up" voters' roll has been reduced by 
nearly one million names, and publicly acknowledged the 
state-owned media houses' clear bias for the ruling United 
Democratic Front (UDF).  Unsatisfied with the progress on the 
voters' roll, the Mgwirizano Coalition has filed a lawsuit 
against MEC, UDF, and the Attorney General for failure to 
comply with the legally mandated 21 days between the voters' 
roll verification and polling day.  Meanwhile, the Catholic 
churches have reminded their 4 million faithful to evaluate 
presidential candidates based on their track records and to 
vote accordingly.  END SUMMARY. 
 
5.7 MILLION VOTERS 
------------------ 
2. (U) MEC announced on May 6 that the updated voters' roll 
has 5.7 million voters, following a clean-up by a South 
African computer firm.  The reduction from 6.6 million 
voters, Chief Elections Officer Roosevelt Gondwe said, is a 
result of removing double registrants who re-registered 
rather than filing requests for transfer.  The new number is 
much closer to the National Statistical Office's projected 
voter age population of 5.5 million. 
 
MEC DECLARES STATE-OWNED MEDIA COVERAGE BIASED 
--------------------------------------------- - 
3. (U) MEC Chair Justice James Kalaile told SADC 
Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) Elections Observers on May 6 
that state-owned media houses Malawi Broadcasting Corporation 
(MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM) have not provided equitable 
coverage to all political parties.  Citing reports from the 
MEC's Media Monitoring Unit that indicate a clear bias in 
favor of the ruling party, Kalaile said: "Previous elections 
were fairly covered because the management of MBC and TVM 
cooperated well with MEC then." 
 
COALITION SUES OVER VERIFICATION PROCESS AND VOTERS' ROLL 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
4. (U) The Mgwirizano Coalition filed a lawsuit on May 5 
against MEC, UDF, and the Attorney General for failure to 
provide the legally mandated 21 days between verification of 
the voters' roll and polling day.  The lawsuit, which also 
seeks redress for the UDF's use of public resources to 
campaign, requests that the courts seize the extra ballots 
that are no longer necessary because of the voters' roll 
reductions, as MEC had 7.4 million ballots printed.  The 
court proceedings will begin on May 12.  (NOTE: A similar 
abridgment of the verification period in 1999 resulted in 
one-month postponement of the elections.) 
 
5. (U) The Coalition's lawsuits follows a separate lawsuit by 
the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) against MEC and the 
state-owned media houses for biased coverage in favor of the 
ruling UDF (reftel B).  The ruling is expected May 14, two 
days before the official campaign period is scheduled to end. 
 
GUIDING THEIR FLOCKS 
-------------------- 
6. (U) To provide guidance to Malawi's 4 million Catholics, 
priests re-read at May 9 masses the November Pastoral Letter 
entitled "Reconsidering the Future of Our Country: Genuine 
Change Required."  The letter, while not overtly supporting 
any political party, asks followers to evaluate leaders on 
their track records and to vote accordingly.  In the call for 
change, some priests reportedly said Malawi does not "need an 
economic technician or somebody coming from a party which is 
preaching that this year's elections are not about changing 
government.  We need someone who can change this country." 
The media has reported the Catholic Church's statements as 
anti-UDF. 
 
COMMENT 
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7. (SBU) There is no question that most churches, 
particularly the dominant Catholics and Presbyterians, are 
against the ruling UDF and Mutharika.  However, they have not 
demonstrated support for any one individual in opposition. 
In the absence of clear direction, the opposition vote will 
remain divided. 
BROWNING