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3 chiefs asked to urge their subjects to register to vote

Paramount Chief Kyungu has asked traditional authorities (T/As) Wasambo, Mwirang’ombe and Sub-T/A Mwinuka of Karonga to urge their subjects to register in the ongoing exercise in the district.

He said this on Tuesday during a full council session after Karonga district commissioner Frank Mkandawire brought the issue in the house.

The call came against the backdrop of a voter registration boycott by community members in Kasangamala and Chauteka villages in T/A Mwirang’ombe who have been affected by the ward and constituency demarcation exercise carried out in 2023.

“The boycott around the two centres border on development and not political issues, as such, it needs development solutions from this house as people refusing to register will not have an opportunity to vote and will be denied development,” said Mkandawire.

In response, Kyungu urged the three chiefs to swiftly engage elected leaders and map the way forward.

“Democratically, every citizen has the constitutional right to vote. Therefore, let the three chiefs iron out the challenges that are there and tell their subjects to register for them to vote and benefit from social development,” he said.

In a related development, National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust on the same day asked political party leaders in the district to intensify awareness campaign to mobilise more people to register to vote.

Karonga district Nice programmes officer Mabvuto Mkandawire said the call followed a snap check that showed low turnout of registrants in the district.

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