Following the March 17 parliamentary and local government by-elections, the Malawi Electoral Commission has declared the polling process peaceful and smooth despite severe voter apathy. MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja announced the results on March 20, noting that voter turnout dropped as low as 17.61 percent in some local government wards, according to The Daily Times.
In parliamentary developments, lawmakers passed a motion on March 19 to establish a 13-member special committee to investigate the June 2024 Chikangawa Forest plane crash. The new inquiry aims to address alleged gaps and inconsistencies in previous investigations into the crash that killed former Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others, The Daily Times reports.
Update: As the Public Accounts Committee continues its inquiry into the controversial Amaryllis Hotel agreement, former State House Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga has publicly denied any role in the transaction. Appearing before the committee, Kapondamgaga stated his involvement was limited to attending a single meeting as an invitee and shifted responsibility for the deal to the Office of the President and Cabinet, according to The Daily Times.
On the humanitarian front, the UK-registered Faizan Global Relief Foundation has rolled out a Ramadan food distribution campaign targeting 100,000 vulnerable households across Malawi to help mitigate the lean season food crisis, the Mail & Guardian reports.