MEC opens voter registration today

Registration for the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections is scheduled to start today in five districts in the Southern Region.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Maxon Mbendera, who is also a Supreme Court of Appeal judge, said in a statement the commission is conducting fresh registration.

He said this means that everyone will have to register regardless of whether they registered during previous elections.

The first phase of the registration will cover the whole districts of Nsanje, Chikhwawa, Neno and Mwanza.

In Blantyre, registration will take place in Mbayani, Michiru and South Lunzu all in Blantyre Kabula Constituency; and Blantyre City Central and Chilomoni both in Blantyre City West Constituency.

Said Mbendera in the statement: “To register, you need to be a Malawian citizen or someone who has ordinarily been a resident of the country for the past seven years, and be above the age of 18 or will turn 18 on May 20, 2014.”

Those eligible to register are required to produce a valid identification document such as a passport, even though it might be expired, a driving licence, a student identity card, a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, an employment identification document or an old voter certificate.

“You may also go with someone who has registered already to bear witness for you,” said Mbendera.

Registration will be done in 10 phases, spanning 14 days each. Registration centres will open from 8am to 4pm, including public holidays and weekends.

Mbendera has cautioned prospective registrants to avoid registering more than once as that is a criminal offence.

He stated: “And, apart from being prosecuted, you will also be disqualified from participating in electoral activities. That means you cannot be allowed to register or contest as a candidate.”

In another statement, MEC chief elections officer Willie Kalonga said the commission has mobilised enough human resources and equipment to open all centres by Monday at 8am.

Kalonga said the commission has trained 715 operators and 715 quality control managers for the registration exercise.

He said the commission has created 550 new registration centres to get closer to people. The national total of registration centres is 4 448.