There are moments in history when nations are tested, not by foreign invasion, but by internal decay disguised as “concern.” Today, the Malawi Electoral Commission, led by the formidable Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, faces such a test. And true to her name, Mtalimanja she has shown a hand firm enough to swat away the buzzing flies of political paranoia.
Let’s begin with the facts: not a single ballot has been cast. Not a single vote counted. Yet, the usual suspects have already screamed “rigged!” louder than a prophet at a crusade. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that uncanny mixture of arrogance, amnesia, and audacity has once again slipped into its favourite political cosplay: The Victim™.
But let’s be honest. This isn’t about safeguarding democracy. This is about preemptive whining a tactic mastered by those with a losing record and a guilty conscience. They know, deep down in their blue-tinted souls, that a free and fair election is their worst enemy.
Enter Justice Annabel Mtalimanja: The Last Grown Up in the Room
Let’s not downplay it: Justice Annabel Mtalimanja is no Jane “Tippex” Ansah. She is not here to host press conferences that feel like hostage videos. She is here to protect the Republic. A judge of the High Court. A legal practitioner of towering repute. A woman with enough intellectual firepower to read an electoral act and a room.
Under fire, lesser souls fold. Mtalimanja stiffens. When asked to open the electoral server to partisan IT “auditors” masquerading as digital midwives, she calmly but firmly replied:
“This is not an audit. This is a digital break-in.”
Her letter to political parties was a masterclass in jurisprudential steel. She refused to allow system integrity to be compromised in the name of transparency, because when riggers scream “audit,” what they really mean is “access.” And once they’re in, the script is simple: sabotage, spin, sow doubt.
Let Us Speak the Unspeakable: Peter Never Won in 2014
History remembers Justice Maxon Mbendera, who, in announcing the results of the 2014 election, wept. Tears of a man who knew he had been cornered by legal cowardice and political cunning. That loophole, that cynical, lawyerly maneuver, delivered Peter Mutharika to the palace on a chariot of shadows. We never forgot.
And 2019? Don’t get us started.
Tippex
In a digital age, Malawi’s election results looked like a high school project gone wrong whited out figures, re-entered totals, ballot boxes that spent more time travelling than the candidates themselves.
But 2025 is Different: Enter Smartmatic
The same DPP that once cheered MEC’s decisions now condemns them. The same party that accepted Smartmatic a global leader in election integrity technology now claims it’s the villain. But why? Simple:
- Smartmatic eliminates manual tampering.
- It timestamps every log-in and input.
- It exposes attempts to cook results faster than bonya on high heat.
This is not their playground anymore.
Let the DPP Cry They’ve Run Out of Ink and Lies
Today, they moan that MEC won’t let them “audit the system.” Tomorrow, they’ll claim Martians stole their votes. The goal is not clarity it’s chaos. But Mtalimanja? She’s not blinking. She’s not folding. She is guarding the temple gates of our fragile democracy while men in blue suits wail like children denied sweeties.
We Choose Integrity. We Choose Annabel
In the pantheon of Malawi’s electoral guardians, Maxon Mbendera stands tall, his name etched in both reverence and heartbreak. Justice Annabel Mtalimanja now walks that same hallowed path not with tears, but with purpose. Not bending to threats, but breaking them with judicial grace.
So to those who fear a fair fight, we say:
Rigging is dead. Tippex is banned. Justice is in session.
And her name… is Annabel.
