Malawi: 'Constructively Resigned' - MEC Rejects Return of Potani After Diplomatic Posting to China

What the report says

The Malawi Electoral Commission has rejected any return by former deputy chief executive Harris Potani and accused the Office of the President and Cabinet of interfering in its staffing decisions. In reporting carried by Nyasa Times and distributed by AllAfrica, the dispute centers on Potani’s appearance at MEC offices on Monday, even though the commission says he left more than a year ago.

According to the report, Potani worked at MEC from 1999 and later became deputy chief executive. He is said to have left in early 2025 after arranging a move to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then a diplomatic posting in China. MEC says it had already reviewed that departure in 2024, warned him against proceeding, and later treated the move as a constructive resignation. Because of his long service, the commission says it handled the exit as a retirement rather than a dismissal.

MEC argues that its law gives the commission, not the executive, authority over staff appointments. It says the statute does not allow MEC officers to be seconded to government agencies, while secondments into MEC must be on terms set by the commission itself. On that basis, it says Potani cannot return and that any attempt to reinstate him would undermine the body’s constitutional independence.

The commission also raised concern about what it described as involvement by the OPC in efforts to bring Potani back. The OPC had not publicly responded at the time of the report. More broadly, the episode has renewed debate about the independence of Malawi’s election body ahead of future polls.