The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has been ordered to vacate its offices at Development House in Lilongwe, according to Nyasa Times. Property managers MPICO issued an eviction notice giving the electoral body until May 21 to leave the premises. The eviction follows MEC missing a May 10 deadline to respond to a tenancy renewal offer. The Ministry of Lands had previously stated it would not renew the lease. The eviction forces MEC to address President Peter Mutharika's earlier directive to relocate its headquarters to Blantyre.
In a separate development, civil rights group Youth and Society (YAS) has challenged the Office of the President and Cabinet over political patronage in public sector hiring. Nation Online reports that YAS executive director Charles Kajoloweka sent a May 21 letter to Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi. Kajoloweka stated that politically motivated appointments in statutory corporations damage public service integrity and strain government finances, noting that some agencies are paying two people to perform the exact same job.
Meanwhile, contrasting government communications surfaced following Arsenal Football Club's English Premier League title win. Nyasa Times reports that Second Vice President Enock Kanzingeni Chihana publicly congratulated the football club, praising the team's discipline and manager Mikel Arteta. His message was published just hours after government spokesperson Shadric Namalomba issued a formal statement dismissing a fake poster that claimed President Mutharika had congratulated the team. The government warned the public that unauthorised use of the president's name is a legal offence.