Opposition Parties and CDEDI Confront MEC Chairperson Mtalimanja on “Impunity and Arrogance”

Four opposition parties—DPP, UDF, UTM, and AFORD—have jointly called on MEC Chairperson Justice Anabel Mtalimanja to immediately address their demands and cease what they describe as her “arrogance” in managing the electoral process.

The parties insist that their demands be met before the start of the second phase of voter registration.

The opposition parties have warned that if their demands are not unconditionally met by November 13, 2024, they will consider various actions, including continuous vigils at MEC’s headquarters and regional offices until their concerns are resolved, in pursuit of justice and fairness.

In a recent statement, they reminded Mtalimanja of a 14-day ultimatum given in their last press briefing to address bottlenecks, complications, and other issues they have observed in the electoral process. This ultimatum ends on November 13, 2024.

The opposition demands include that all votes and results for the 2025 elections be managed, counted, and transmitted manually, as was done in the process leading up to the 2020 elections. They also demand that the National Registration Bureau (NRB) ensure its operations across all MEC registration centers in compliance with a court order.

Additionally, they are calling for the immediate termination of MEC’s contract with SMARTMATIC, the company tasked with overseeing the electoral process, and for independent ICT auditors to be engaged to enhance transparency and rebuild public trust in MEC and NRB.

“We are demanding Justice Mtalimanja’s immediate resignation as MEC Chairperson due to her compromised position, and we also call for Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi to step down immediately,” the opposition parties stated in a letter.

In a separate letter dated November 7, 2024, addressed to Mtalimanja, CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa demanded a postponement of the second phase of voter registration. CDEDI claims that the MEC Chairperson has ignored legitimate calls from various electoral stakeholders throughout the ongoing registration exercise.

Expressing concern over what it describes as Mtalimanja’s “unprecedented levels of impunity and arrogance,” CDEDI urged MEC to address stakeholders’ concerns in alignment with Section 12 of the Constitution. “A voter is always a king in a fair and credible electoral process; the voting exercise should not be made overly difficult,” CDEDI’s letter reads in part.