Bad weather disturbs voter registration
Bad weather being experienced in most parts of the country is a bad omen for prospective voters in the fifth phase of registration as solar panels used to power equipment are not working.
Officers of the National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) in Dedza, Ntcheu and Mangochi confirmed that registration staff turned away many prospective voters on Monday and Tuesday because their equipment could not work.
The development has worried stakeholders who were initially upbeat with high turnout witnessed in most centres during the first two days of opening on September 29 2013.
“We have been to a number of centres today [Tuesday] and Monday. Workers are just sitting because they don’t have any alternatives,” said Foropesi Banda, Nice Ntcheu district officer.
His Dedza counterpart Patrick Sikwinda had a similar story saying the bad weather has also discouraged voters from going to centres.
According to chief meteorologist Gray Chimwaza, the bad weather “will gradually improve by Thursday.”
He said the cold and rainy weather were caused by moist winds resulting from a high pressure area from the Atlantic to Indian Ocean.
The fifth phase has targeted Mangochi Town Council, Mangochi and Ntcheu districts, Dedza South, Dedza North and Dedza East constituencies. This phase will end on October 11 2013.
MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa said these were only isolated cases where equipment was affected by bad weather.
