Political parties have queried Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on why duplicate names of individuals who registered twice remain in the voters’ register instead of being removed.
Further, during an electoral stakeholders meeting in Lilongwe yesterday where the commission shared an electronic copy of the voters’ register with 23 registered political parties ahead of the September 16 General Election, the party representatives also wondered if such individuals will face legal consequences.
MEC is expected to conduct verification of the voters’ roll in three phases from today.
of the register to Chibwana. | Ntchindi Meki
Before receiving the register, the stakeholders were briefed on its structure, which revealed that duplicate entries had been retained.
However, MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja clarified that the commission must account for every registrant, necessitating the retention of duplicates.
She said: “That is why we have such a category of duplicates and an exception report to explain their presence. For those who registered twice, the commission is still investigating and will report accordingly.”
Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, added that individuals who registered twice unintentionally would be permitted to vote while those suspected of fraudulent registration would be reported to police for prosecution.
People’s Transformation Party (Petra) representative at the meeting, Lyness Kamanga, asked MEC to clarify where those who registered twice would cast their ballots and if such voters were informed of the process.
“I would also want to know the importance of duplicates and why they are still appearing in the register,” she said.
On his part, Alliance for Democracy national director of elections David Katete echoed Kamanga’s concerns, arguing that double registrants violated the law and their names should be deleted.
He warned that the situation could cause confusion and urged MEC to enforce legal penalties against offenders.
Earlier, Mtalimanja also told the stakeholders that the register contained 305 records with unclear or invisible photographs, among other irregularities.
Mtalimanja said the voters’ register was a sensitive legal document requiring careful handling to prevent unauthorised access.
She said: “The information contained in the register includes certain data sets that are, by their nature, confidential and protected under Malawi’s personal data protection laws.
“By receiving the register, you assume legal obligations to safeguard this protected data.”
Speaking on behalf of political parties, Centre for Multiparty Democracy executive director Boniface Chibwana commended MEC’s decision to share the register, calling it a step towards transparency and trust-building.
“This empowers stakeholders to plan, verify and inspire confidence among supporters and the electorate,” he said.
Chibwana assured that parties would use the data solely for electoral purposes and protect its integrity.
There are 7.2 million people registered to vote in September, which is 35 percent below the National Statistical Office’s projection of 11 million eligible voters.
