Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) yesterday took delivery of the first consignment of ballot papers for the March 17 by-elections amid initial fears of uncertainty due to flight suspensions following the Middle East conflict.
But political parties and other electoral stakeholders failed to turn up to witness the process as the cargo aircraft arrived at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) at daybreak.
The first tranche comprises 11 pallets of ballot papers.
MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said the commission had invited representatives from political parties and independent candidates to witness the arrival, but none attended.
But she expressed hope that party representatives would be present today and tomorrow when the remaining consignments are expected to arrive.
Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said: “The arrival of the first shipment marks an important milestone in the commission’s preparations for the by-elections.
“As many of you are aware, the transportation of electoral materials is often a complex logistical undertaking that requires coordination among several partners across countries and institutions.”
She said MEC closely monitored international flight schedules due to recent disruptions in the global aviation sector, partly linked to security concerns in parts of the Middle East.
“These developments affected the reliability of cargo flights in several regions and created uncertainty regarding delivery timelines. Despite these challenges, we are pleased that the first shipment has safely arrived,” she said.
Disruptions in the Middle East following US and Israel attacks on Iran last week created uncertainty about the delivery of ballots for the March 17 2026 parliamentary and local government by-elections due to suspension of flights.
Mtalimanja said MEC remains optimistic that the remaining consignments will arrive within the expected timeframe to allow the commission to proceed with the next stages of the electoral process without disruption.
According to MEC’s schedule, the ballot papers will arrive in phases, with the second consignment expected today and the final batch tomorrow.
The materials will then be dispatched to the respective constituencies and wards.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum chairperson Benedicto Kondowe has urged political parties to ensure their representatives attend key stages of the electoral process.
“The presence of political party representatives throughout the electoral process is important for transparency and public confidence,” he said.
In an interview yesterday, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Jessie Kabwila confirmed that her party was not represented at the airport when the ballot papers arrived, attributing the absence to internal miscommunication.
However, she said the party, which has fielded candidates in most areas where the by-elections will take place, takes the electoral process seriously and will be represented when the next consignments arrive and follow all stages of the process.
UTM Party director of elections Bright Kawaga said the party is satisfied with MEC’s preparations so far.
He said the party has deployed monitors to track the arrival of the ballot papers until their dispatch to the polling centres.
“We trust MEC and hope it will administer another credible election in the forthcoming by-elections,” he said, urging MEC to ensure smooth distribution of materials, especially considering the rainy season, which has rendered some roads difficult to pass.
Officials from the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were not immediately available for comment, as calls to the party’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba and secretary general Peter Mukhito went unanswered.
MEC will hold parliamentary by-elections in Dedza Mtakataka, Blantyre West, Rumphi Central and Nkhotakota Liwaladzi constituencies.
Local government by-elections will also take place in Ighembe Ward in Karonga Songwe, Luwinga Ward in Mzuzu City North, Linthembwe Ward in Dowa Ngala, Chilobwe Ward in Lilongwe Chilobwe, Msitu Ward in Mchinji South, Mikongo Ward in Mangochi North East, Chanda Ward in Zomba Chikomwe, Chirunga Ward in Zomba City North and Muonekera Ward in Thyolo Goliati.
A total of 241 787 voters have registered to vote in the by-elections across 351 polling stations.
In total, 83 candidates are contesting the polls, including 61 men and 22 women. Five candidates are youth and one is a person with a disability.
DPP has fielded candidates in all constituencies and wards where the by-elections will take place.
MCP has three candidates in the four parliamentary constituencies and six candidates in the nine wards while UTM Party has fielded one candidate in the parliamentary race in Rumphi Central a Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development is keeping results of the first and second round of crop production estimates under wraps, a situation stakeholders say is distorting planning.
Stakeholders The Nation talked to yesterday worried that the development could worsen the country’s food insecurity as it hinders timely humanitarian planning and response efforts, undermines price stabilisation goals, farmer pricing decisions, agri-business off-take forecasts and could trigger price spikes through speculation.
In an interview yesterday, Civil Society Agriculture Network (CisaNet) board chairperson Driana Lwanda said lack of official data breeds speculation which affects prices of crops.
She said in the circumstances, some large-scale traders may continue to hoard old stock, especially the staple grain maize banking on a “failed” harvest, thereby keeping retail prices for consumers artificially high.
Lwanda contended that the estimates give farmers an indication on what their crop is worth such that in the absence of this information smallholder farmers are left vulnerable to unscrupulous buyers who may offer low prices on the pretext that there is bumper harvest.
She said: “For key stakeholders like donors and government agencies, the first round [results] normally give an early warning. Delaying it means that if there is a deficit the mobilisation of food aid or imports happens too late, leading to higher procurement costs and increased hunger.”
Farmers Union of Malawi executive director Jacob Nyirongo said the estimates inform farmers’ decisions on pricing of their produce, how much they can sell and the quantity to keep.
He expressed concern that delays in the release of these estimates negatively impacts farmers’ decisions on storage and pricing, potentially exposing them to exploitation by vendors and other profiteering market players.
Mwapata Institute executive director William Chadza also said delays in the release of information about expected national production create market uncertainty.
He said lack of information also makes it difficult for the government agencies and development partners to plan strategic reserves, food assistance programmes or imports and exports.
“Delayed decisions by government agencies to purchase food for strategic food reserves will most likely encourage traders to enter the market soon after harvest and purchase food from farmers at non-market prices due to the uncertainties created,” said Chadza.
Equally affected by the delay is the Grain Traders Association of Malawi whose president Grace Mijiga Mhango said the lack of estimates distorts their planning for crop purchases.
In four of the past seven years, the ministry released results of the first round of crop production estimates between February and March with the second one coming in April. Last year, the ministry did not release the first round of estimates and only published the second round of crop production estimates on April 8 2025.
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development spokesperson Salome Gangire in an interview yesterday said she would revert, but had not done so by press time at 9pm.
But Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources agricultural economist Horace Phiri said the first round estimates are mainly used for government’s planning and suggested that the data may already be available.
In the 2023/24 season, the first round of crop estimates was released on February 26 2024 while the 2022/23 outlook was out on February 27 2023.
For the 2021/22 growing season it was released on March 7 2022 and in the 2018/19 season; the Ministry of Agriculture announced the estimates on February 26 2019.
Last year, the second round of estimates projected a harvest of 2 962 620 metric tonnes (MT) of maize against a national requirement of 3.5 million MT.nd four in the local government contests.
