Despite being denied access to State House, demonstrators in Lilongwe accompanied by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) managed to deliver their petition on Friday. 

Presidential Advisor on Non-Governmental Organisations, Mavuto Bamusi has received the petition on behalf of President Peter Mutharika.

According to Bamusi the HRDC petition, which is among other things requesting President Mutharika to fire Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Jane Ansah, will be delivered to the President.

“I would like to give the assurance that the petition you have delivered as the Human Rights Defenders Coalition has indeed arrived in the right hands, and according to your wish, the appointment authority is going to be provided with this petition,” said Mtambo.

Meanwhile, Chairperson for the HRDC Timothy Mtambo has requested Bamusi to deliver the petition to President Mutharika and that the Coalition will be waiting for feedback.

“This is the last day, we want Jane Ansah to resign, please comrade Bamusi take the message to the President, and if Ansah doesn’t resign today, she has to be fired by the President, and we will be waiting for feedback,” Mtambo said.

According to the HRDC, they will only stop taking into the streets to protest if the embattled MEC Chairperson steps down.

Apart from asking for the resignation of Justice Ansah, the HRDC is also demanding MEC Presiding Officers, Returning Officers and Clerks who were involved in what the HRDC described it as electoral fraud and manipulation be prosecuted.

The mass demonstrators, who were on their way to Kamuzu Palace, were twice blocked by armed Malawi Defence Force soldiers on a distance about a kilometer from the State House premises.