In 1994, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) was feted for its fair and efficient organisation of a poll that ousted autocratic ruler Hastings Kamuzu Banda. A decade on, however, the lustre has been rubbed off of the organisation. It now finds itself at the centre of a row about alleged irregularities in the run-up to general elections on May 18. The MEC says it has limited powers to address these problems – but this claim has been disputed by various legal experts.