The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has announced dates for supplementary voter registration to address challenges faced during the initial registration phases.
Speaking at a press briefing held at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre on January 17, 2025, MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja outlined the Commission's plans to ensure that all people that failed to register because they did not get national IDs on time are given opportunity to register as voters.
Justice Mtalimanja began by emphasizing that the supplementary voter registration exercise is not an extension of the registration period but a targeted intervention.She explained, "This exercise is meant to assist those who were unable to register as voters due to specific challenges, including the unavailability of civil registration services and delays in issuing unique National ID numbers by the National Registration Bureau (NRB)."
Justice Mtalimanja recalled that the initial voter registration began on October 21, 2024, in Phase 1 councils. However, some eligible Malawians were unable to register due to the absence of NRB officials at voter registration centers and delays in processing National ID numbers.
The situation was further complicated by a High Court order issued on October 25, 2024, which required the NRB to put mechanisms in place to ensure that eligible citizens without proof of civil registration could still be registered.
To address these issues, the NRB conducted supplementary civil registration in Phase 1 councils between December 29, 2024, and January 4, 2025. "The supplementary voter registration is a direct response to the High Court order and aims to include those who became eligible for registration during this period," Justice Mtalimanja noted.
The supplementary voter registration will run from January 21 to February 3, 2025, in three phases:
Phase 1 (January 21-22, 2025): Covers councils in M'mbelwa (Mzimba), Lilongwe, Lilongwe City, Mangochi, Mangochi Municipality, Mwanza, Chikwawa, and Nsanje.
Phase 2 (January 27-28, 2025): Includes Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Likoma, Kasungu, Kasungu Municipality, Dowa, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Zomba, Zomba City, Blantyre, Blantyre City, Thyolo, and Luchenza.
Phase 3 (February 2-3, 2025): Targets Chitipa, Karonga, Karonga Town, Mzuzu City, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Salima, Dedza, Balaka, Machinga, Chiradzulu, Neno, Phalombe, and Mulanje.
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The voter registration centers will operate between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the scheduled days and the Election Management Devices have been programmed to stop registering at 4.00pm on 3 February 2025.
The MEC Chairperson revealed that the supplementary voter registration targets approximately 271,784 eligible Malawians who registered with the NRB between October 21, 2024, and January 4, 2025.
Justice Mtalimanja clarified that the exercise would be conducted in 1,974 voter registration centers, representing 31% of the total centers used during the initial phases. She added, "The Commission has strategically selected these centers to ensure we get as close as possible to the affected population."
The list of the targetted voter registration centres can be accessed here https://mec.org.mw/supplementary-voter-registration-centres/
During the exercise there will be no fresh civil registration by the NRB because all people that are eligible to register as voters were already registered by the NRB., NRB teams will be present at centers to assist with verification and any person who might have changes with their proof of civil registration.
The full speech delivered by Justice Mtalimanja can be accessed here
