Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika plans to hold on to power by rigging the 19 May presidential poll, Nyasa Times has investigated.
President Mutharika summoned Commissioners he appointed for the mandated body to handle the elections for a meeting at New State House in Lilongwe.
During the meeting, sources told Nyasa Times, Mutharika discussed with his Commissioners how best the y can add up to 1.5 million votes to his ticket to ensure he wins the elections.
One of the people who attended the meeting which started from 3pm to 1am included a diplomat Brian Bowler and Chief Secretary to the Office of President and Cabinet, Bright Msaka.
"The President has realized that the only way to secure a second term is through rigging as MCP-UDF joint presidential candidate John Tembo looks set to win the polls thoroughly," said a top government official.
Nyasa Times has sources in the team Mutharika has sanctioned to be a task force for the rigging operations.
The sources told Nyasa Times that Mutharika after discussions with Zambian President Rupiah Banda has hired Zambia's Chief Whip for ruling party in Parliament, Vernon Johnson (VJ) Mwaanga to help his party with the rigging tactics.
Mwaanga arrived in the country to facilitate rigging tactics.
The Zambian official was booked at Capital Hotel In Lilongwe y in room 126.
Already, the electoral body is facing challenges of the messy voter's roll which sources said has been tampered with by the ruling party for the purposes of rigging.
There are missing of names and misplacing of photographs in the voters rolls which has also worried elections stakeholders including, Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn).
President Mutharika won the 2004 elections when he stood for UDF ticket but the party later revealed that he won on a stolen vote.
UDF claimed votes were stolen from Tembo to give Mutharika an electoral victory.
http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/3301.html
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