Centre for Democracy and Elections (CEDE) Calls for Urgent NECOF Meeting Ahead of September 2024 Voter Registration.
[8th May 2024, Blantyre] –
1.0 About Centre for Democracy and Elections (CEDE)
The Centre for Democracy and Elections (CEDE) was registered in 2022 as a non-partisan and non-profit organization in Malawi that seeks to strengthen democratic processes and institutions to deepen democracy. CEDE is Co-Chair of the National Partnership for Democratic Governance and Elections, a coalition of over 30 registered civil society organizations in Malawi. Since 2023 CEDE has been observing and analyzing the political and electoral environment in readiness for Malawi’s 2025 general elections.
2.0 September 2024 Voter Registration.
The Electoral Calendar released by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) indicates that voter registration for Malawi’s 2025 general elections will start in September 2024. Voter registration is a critical stage in an electoral process because it ensures that only eligible voters can cast their ballots. By ensuring that all eligible voters are registered, voter registration helps to ensure that the electoral process is transparent, accessible, credible, and acceptable.
3.0 Preliminary Observations and Analysis.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and National Registration Bureau (NRB).
In Malawi, the electoral process has faced some challenges in the past, including allegations of voter buying, electoral fraud, and lack of adherence to the electoral laws. The climax of the electoral dispute was in 2019 when the presidential election result was contested in Court, annulled and a fresh presidential election was held in 2020.
The biggest threat to September 2024 voter registration is the inefficiency of the National Registration Bureau (NRB) because of the Amended Electoral Law which recognizes exclusive use of the National ID as the only valid proof of voter eligibility for registration. With the current backlog at the NRB, there are justifiable fears that this would disenfranchise eligible voters. Section 4(12) of the Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government Elections Act states that a person who is eligible to be registered as a voter in an election, shall as proof of eligibility, present in person to a Registration Officer, proof of his or her national registration issued by the National Registration Bureau(NRB).
CEDE has also observed and analyzed other challenges related to voter registration by MEC and mass registration by the NRB as follows;
- Political interference during mass registration by the National Registration Bureau (NRB) for National ID,
- Registration of under-aged for National ID,
- Political interference during voter registration,
- Registration of under-aged voters by registration staff,
- Bussing/ferrying of eligible registrants and/or eligible voters,
- Abuse of new registrants by political leaders,
- Corruption,
- Political violence,
- Inadequate security,
- Lack of a systematic and well-coordinated election observation,
- Inadequate capacity to handle electoral-related conflict,
- Insufficient civic and voter education,
- Abuse and manipulation of voters using social media.
In 2023 in Mangochi the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) indefinitely suspended the by-election process citing a “perceivable compromise of electoral processes”. The MEC raised the issue of ‘increased vigilante behavior’ within the Ward, where youths were meddling in the registration process, usurping powers of accredited party representatives, and interfering with the work of registration staff.
These challenges will increase because the stakes for the 2025 general elections are extremely higher than in local government or parliamentary by-elections.
- 0 CEDE Call to MEC.
Inclusive National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF).
With 3 months to go before voter registration begins, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) must engage all key electoral stakeholders such as NRB, political parties, civil society, security agents, development partners, and media through an inclusive National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF) so that these challenges are openly discussed, consensus reached, recommendations made and solutions identified for an inclusive voter registration process. CEDE recommends that the NECOF be held in good time before the beginning of Voter Registration in September 2024.
Signed,
Aloisious Nthenda,
Technical Specialist, CEDE.
