‘Border dispute should not overshadow Malawi elections’

The Electoral Commission (EC) on Monday said the ongoing boundary dispute between Malawi and Tanzania over Lake Malawi should not overshadow the need to prepare for the 2014 tripartite elections with urgency.

EC commissioner the Reverend Emmanuel Chimkwita Phiri was speaking in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, when he opened a week-long UNDP-funded professional certificate course in electoral processes for EC commissioners and senior staff.

“As we grapple with old challenges such as unsatisfactory voters’ roll…new threats such as voter fatigue, donor fatigue, ignorance of the electoral processes, poverty, conflicts, border disputes along the lake and others are also taking centre stage.

“All these can undermine our determined efforts to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2014,” said Phiri.

In a later interview, Phiri said general elections take the largest share of government resources and the commission would not want the boundary dispute to threaten allocation of resources for 2014 elections.

“Sometimes we lose sight because there are many things happening. Any other dispute can take the people’s focus away from the elections.

“Elections are the only single largest budget for government every five years. We should not allow anything to affect that budget,” said Phiri.

On the feasibility of the tripartite elections in 2014, he said the commission is preparing for any type of elections in 2014.

He said government, however, needs to speed up harmonisation of the country’s electoral laws to allow holding of the tripartite elections.

He said EC will also endeavour to increase women and youth participation in elections.