Malawi president threatens to kick out EU election observers

BLANTYRE – Malawi’s outgoing President Bakili Muluzi has threatened to expel observers from the European Union (EU) if they campaigned against his government ahead of the May 18 elections, state radio said yesterday.

“I want the foreign observers to hear this… their duty should be to observe and not conduct elections. If they come here to decampaign my government, I will ask them to leave the country,” Muluzi was quoted as saying at a weekend rally in the northern town of Mzuzu.An angry Muluzi said: “I have names already and if you are doing something else apart from observing elections, I will ask you to leave the country and I am not playing.”Although he did not mention the observers by name, Muluzi was apparently referring to the EU team, the only international observers currently deployed throughout the 28-district nation.”Malawi is a sovereign state and I am the head of state and government.Just because you come from somewhere… you cannot come here to dictate Bakili Muluzi,” the president, who retires in May after serving two terms, said.The EU, which is partly funding the US$14 million elections, was invited by Malawi’s electoral commission to observe the southern African nation’s third multi-party elections since 1994.Observers from the Commonwealth are due to arrive later.A spokesman for the EU team, Javier Gutierrez, speaking before Muluzi’s threat, told AFP their main task was to “make a comprehensive and national analysis of the electoral process and offer an impartial, balanced and informed assessment of the election.”Gutierrez said the observers will seek to reduce tension and minimise cases of fraud, intimidation and violence.The May 18 presidential and parliamentary elections will be the third time that Malawians vote under a multi-party system since the end of the dictatorship of Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1994.- Nampa-AFPIf they come here to decampaign my government, I will ask them to leave the country,” Muluzi was quoted as saying at a weekend rally in the northern town of Mzuzu.An angry Muluzi said: “I have names already and if you are doing something else apart from observing elections, I will ask you to leave the country and I am not playing.”Although he did not mention the observers by name, Muluzi was apparently referring to the EU team, the only international observers currently deployed throughout the 28-district nation.”Malawi is a sovereign state and I am the head of state and government.Just because you come from somewhere… you cannot come here to dictate Bakili Muluzi,” the president, who retires in May after serving two terms, said.The EU, which is partly funding the US$14 million elections, was invited by Malawi’s electoral commission to observe the southern African nation’s third multi-party elections since 1994.Observers from the Commonwealth are due to arrive later.A spokesman for the EU team, Javier Gutierrez, speaking before Muluzi’s threat, told AFP their main task was to “make a comprehensive and national analysis of the electoral process and offer an impartial, balanced and informed assessment of the election.”Gutierrez said the observers will seek to reduce tension and minimise cases of fraud, intimidation and violence.The May 18 presidential and parliamentary elections will be the third time that Malawians vote under a multi-party system since the end of the dictatorship of Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1994.- Nampa-AFP