Malawi’s chief elections officer Sam Alfandika has written to the country’s president, urging him to appoint a new electoral commission as the term for the current one ends a month before fresh elections are due to be held.

Malawi is scheduled to hold a rerun of last May's botched presidential elections on July 2. 

In his letter, Alfandika reminded President Peter Mutharika that the current commission’s tenure would end on June 5, while the Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson’s term was expiring in October, online news site Nyasa Times reported.

It said Alfandika had informed parliament’s legal affairs committee about the letter while giving an update on elections preparedness.

“The new commission would have to be appointed with effect from June 6, 2020. The incoming commissioners may have a little time to understand the process to complete the election,” Nyasa Times quoted Alfandika as saying.

Another local online publication, Malawi24, said a K5-billion (about R127-million) budget had been set aside for the fresh election.

It said Alfandika also raised concerns over the impact the Covid-19 pandemic would have on the polls.

Malawi has recorded its first three cases of the coronavirus which is wreaking havoc across the world, with several southern African countries imposing lockdowns to try and arrest its spread.

“Ballot papers might not be purchased in time if the Covid- 19 scare escalates to June as local printers are shunning to print the ballot papers in fear of reprisal,” Alfandika said.

The election chief said he hoped the president would act swiftly and hire a new commission.

Meanwhile, electoral commission chairperson Jane Ansah has held her ground, refusing to step down despite parliament and the courts finding her unfit to hold the position.

In papers filed in court, Ansah said the only person who could remove her from her post was the president. She was responding to a motion brought forward to the Supreme Court of Appeal by Malawi’s vice president Saulos Chilima following a Constitutional Court order nullifying the results of last year's vote.

"The authority to remove the commissioner lies solely in the power of the President as accorded to him by the Constitution of the Republic," Ansah wrote.

"Unless I resign or be removed by the President, I have the lawful mandate to continue performing the functions of the office of the commissioner of the Electoral Commission."