CCJP calls for transparent, inclusive voter registration

 The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) has called on government and Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to ensure that the voter registration process is accessible, transparent and inclusive.

CCJP’s call follows growing queries from various stakeholders over the use of national ID as the only identification for eligible voters to register to vote in the September 16 2025 General Elections.

The commission said in a statement yesterday that the elections represent a defining moment in the country’s democratic journey and the voter registration is a crucial step in the process.

Reads the statement jointly signed by the commission’s national coordinator Boniface Chibwana and all CCJP coordinators in the two archdioceses and six dioceses: “We call upon NRB to deal with technical challenges that derail registration process. ”

CCJP also said the launch of the 2025 General Elections by MEC and the ongoing pilot voter registration processes mark the beginning of a critical period where the country’s direction will be determined by the collective voice of its citizens.

The social justice arm of the Catholic Church further observed that the country continues to grapple with voter apathy; a phenomenon it said poses a serious threat to the democratic process.

In the 2019 Tripartite Elections, 6.8 million individuals were registered, but only 5.1 million voted, representing a turnout of 74.43 percent.

The court-sanctioned 2020 Fresh Presidential Election saw a further decline with only 64.81 percent of registered voters casting their vote.

MEC launched the 2025 General Elections on August 2 2024 with an announcement that there are about 10.9 million eligible voters out of about 20.9 million Malawians.

To address voter apathy, CCJP has proposed strategic actions, including promotion of voter registration, mass awareness campaigns and diligent resolve of challenges facing the National Registration Bureau (NRB) in registering people for national IDs.

During the launch of the 2025 General Elections, MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said voter registration would be conducted in four phases of 14 days each while official campaign will start on June 15 2025