The Malawi Electoral Commission stuck to its guns saying it will go ahead registering new voters ahead of the fresh presidential election expected to start on 4th April.
According the announcement made today, the first phase will run from the 4th to 17th April.
This is despite the coronavirus scare across the African region.
There is a current ban on public gatherings, markets and schools and three positive cases have just been confirmed by President Peter Mutharika.
However the commission says it is closely monitoring situations surrounding the feared spread of covid-19.
“We have put in place measures to protect the members of staff and those registering. There will be buckets of water and soap for people to wash their hands and we have given masks, gloves and hand sanitizers to our staff,’’ says Mwafulira.
Mwafulirwa says the exercise in which those who registered for the tripartite elections are not supposed to register again, will run for four phases.
Earlier in the week, Chief Elections Officer Sam Alfandika announced that the commission will advertise for people to work as presiding officers, subsequently snubbing the usual option of primary school teachers.
According to Alfandika, the commission will require diploma holders to carry out duties as presiding officers.
Alfandika told a committee of parliament on Wednesday that the decision followed the flaws that the Constitutional Court picked in the management of the elections in its ruling in February.