Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioner Reverend Phillip Kambulire said voter registration in Mulanje has started on a positive note after registering a high turnout of possible voters on the second day.
In sharp contrast, spot-checks in some centres we visited in Chitipa, Salima, Dedza, Neno and Dedza showed continued low turnout just like on Monday.
Kambulire said officers sorted out all issues that were brought to them on the opening day.
He said: “Yesterday [Monday], we had good numbers of people flocking to various registration centres. We had minor challenges, but our teams have rectified all issues [encountered].” he said.
Commissioner of Police for South East Region Chikondi Chingadza said they are providing enough security for the smooth running of the voter registration exercise.
“We have deployed a large number of police officers who are committed to security and safety of people,” she said
However, visits to centres in several districts still showed low turnout in the exercise, which will run in 14 councils until November 3.
The exercise is being conducted in Chitipa, Karonga, Karonga Town, Mzuzu City, Salima, Dedza, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Balaka, Machinga, Chiradzulu, Mulanje and Neno.
In an interview with the Malawi News Agency in Dedza, National Initiative for Civic Education programmes manager Daniel Malango said statistics show that most centres failed to register more than 100 registrants on the opening day in the district.
“The highest we managed to capture was Chimbiya, which had close to 200,” he said.
Dedza Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace diocesan co-ordinator Lawrence Puliti agreed with Malango that the registration process has started with a poor turnout.
He further said stakeholders need to intensify awareness that people need to register for them to have the opportunity to elect leaders of their choice.
Meanwhile, most of the registered people yesterday, expressed joy for securing their right to vote in the September 16 2025 elections.
