By Lydia Maganga

Chiradzulu,22, August, Mana: Election for Chiradzulu District Council chairperson has been postponed on Tuesday until further notice after two of the three candidates got a tie twice after council members cast their votes.

The elections which were conducted by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), saw Councillor Phyllis Mazinga of Mitumbira ward and Charles Chigwenembe of Mombezi ward getting 5 votes each which prompted the District Commissioner, Francis Matewere to follow Local Government Elections Standing Orders which call for a re-run after a recess of 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes the house reconvened where members of parliament and ward councillors voted for the second time and when the votes were counted the results came back a tie again with both Councillor Mazinga and Chigwenembe getting 6 votes each.

After the announcement of the second results, the District Commissioner informed the house that according to the Standing Orders of the Local Government Elections, the elections will be shifted to another date to allow the voters to recast their votes.

The District Commissioner said the council could not say the exact date the elections will be held, but promised that the elections will take place in this quarter to allow members of parliament to come and vote before they leave for parliament.

“This means that the office of the Council chairperson is vacant and I will be the interim overseer of the council until another chairperson is elected. As a council we will sit down and see which month we can hold the elections to also accommodate our Members of Parliament,” he said

In an Interview with Malawi News Agency, Councillor for Mitumbira ward Phyllis Mazinga said she is looking forward to the next date of the elections and expressed hope that the results will not tie as had been the case.

Mazinga who is the only female councillor in the district said when elected into office she plans to revamp revolving fund, enhance communication between members of parliament and councillors and promote equitable distribution of projects across all wards and constituencies.

Councillor Chigwenembe who was the vice council chairperson said once elected into office he plans to promote local revenue collection and build a good relationship with non-governmental organisations which he believed can see Chiradzulu developing.

Three councillors were competing for the position of council chairperson, Charles Chigwenembe of Mombezi ward, Patrick Chimtengo of Chikowa ward and Phyllis Mazinga of Mitumbira ward.

Chiradzulu District has 10 councillors and five members of parliament and all of them were present during the council chairperson election