Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is yet to access funding and essential electoral equipment locked in its sealed warehouse in Lilongwe, but has expressed optimism about holding the September 29 fresh parliamentary elections.
The fresh elections are set for Nsanje South and Mangochi East constituencies after the courts separately nullified results of the September 16 2026 General Election parliamentary vote in the two areas.
September 16 elections. | Nation
The election calendar shows that MEC was scheduled to conduct inspection of the voters’ register on Friday and Saturday this week and sources familiar with the preparations confided in The Nation that the exercise is now “very doubtful” with the required crucial equipment inaccessible at the Njewa warehouse in Lilongwe.
But MEC director of media and public relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa in an interview yesterday allayed the fears, saying that the commission still expects to hold the elections as scheduled.
He said: “Polling day for the fresh parliamentary elections is 29th September 2026 in Nsanje South and Mangochi East in accordance with the law.
“In line with the electoral calendar that was released, the commission expects to hold the elections in the two constituencies as planned.”
However, Mwafulirwa acknowledged that access to the warehouse and delayed funding are critical to the implementation of the electoral calendar.
He said MEC was engaging relevant authorities to resolve the Njewa warehouse issue as the facility contains essential electoral materials and equipment, including Election Management Devices.
On funding, Mwafulirwa said government had not indicated when the resources required for the elections would be released.
“Release of funding has a sensitive impact on the implementation of electoral calendar activities, which include critical path activities whose timing is regulated by law and may impact on the ability of the commission to hold the poll on 29th September 2026,” he said.
In a brief written response, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation spokesperson Williams Banda said Treasury was aware of MEC’s situation and assured that “resources will be made available as it has done in the past”.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum chairperson Benedicto Kondowe has described government’s handling of the situation as an affront to MEC’s constitutionally guaranteed independence.
He said: “This is an assault on our Constitution and democracy. MEC’s mandate is not ceremonial. It is a constitutional imperative we chose as a nation.
“For this reason, government has no choice but to make resources available and also resolve the issue of the warehouse as a matter of urgency.”
Kondowe said regardless of whether MEC ultimately relocates its headquarters from Lilongwe to Blantyre, the commission should have access to the materials necessary to conduct the fresh elections.
University of Malawi political analyst Gift Sambo warned against conducting elections merely to comply with a timetable, saying inadequate preparation could undermine the legitimacy of the process.
He said the aim of elections is not just to meet what is on the calendar but entrenching electoral democracy.
“We need an electoral process that is supportive of a democratic regime. Legitimacy is critical in this case. Without civic education, you do not expect voters to effectively exercise their right to vote,” said Sambo.
He also expressed concern over what he described as an ongoing tussle between the Executive and the electoral body, warning that the situation could compromise MEC’s independence.
In a separate interview, Centre for Democracy and Elections representative Aloisious Nthenda said it was unfortunate that the dispute surrounding MEC’s relocation had dragged on to the point of affecting election preparations.
He warned that failure to address the challenges could have implications beyond the two constituencies.
“The failure to conduct the court-sanctioned elections will deny people of the respective constituencies their right to representative democracy,” Nthenda said.
But Mwafulirwa said MEC would keep electoral stakeholders and the public informed should operational challenges force changes to the electoral calendar.
On the possibility of court action should MEC fail to meet the timetable, he said the matter would ultimately be for the courts to determine.
During recent by-elections, MEC reportedly used funds collected from nomination fees in the absence of government funding.
