LILONGWE, JULY 10, 2018 (CISA)-The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has distanced itself from endorsement politics ahead of the scheduled May 21, 2019 country’s general Elections.
“…We the catholic bishops in Malawi cannot, and shall not support or endorse any particular politician or politician party,” reads their statement issued after their Second Plenary Meeting held between June 25 to 29 at the Catholic Secretariat in Lilongwe.
However, they encouraged Catholic faithful to play an active role in politics including contesting for elective positions as defined by the constitution.
“We call upon all Malawians to pray for peaceful elections and cooperate with God in achieving this by desisting from utterances, actions or inactions which can cause violence,” the statement said.
Their statement comes days after President Peter Mutharika advised the Church in Malawi to maintain a non-partisan route as political temperatures rise ahead of elections.
“Avoid partisan politics; desist from campaigning for individual candidates. You are there for the spiritual life of the people whilst we, the government are there for the physical needs of the people,” the president said.
The bishops further urged all eligible Malawians to register and vote in the forthcoming elections saying that voting in such elections is not only a right but also an obligation of every eligible Malawian.
Finally, they called upon the people charged with the responsibility of managing the elections to ensure that the entire electoral process is properly managed for free, fair and credible elections to prevail.
