MPs raise alarm on ID registration delays
Members of Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday raised alarm over the delays to fasttrack processing of national identity cards (IDs) which Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declared as primary identification for voter registration.
In her contribution to debate on a report by the Committee on Government Assurances and Public Sector Reforms, Mangochi South MP Lilian Patel (United Democratic Front) said many people in her constituency failed to register due to faulty equipment and National Registration Bureau (NRB) officers were not enough.
She said: “Some of my constituents had their registration documents confiscated by NRB officials as part of the [mass registration] process, raising fears that such people might not be eligible to vote because without national IDs they cannot register.”
Chipping in, Zomba Chisi MP Mark Botomani (Democratic Progressive Party) cautioned that this issue might affect next year’s election if not handled well.
He said: “We need a ministerial statement updating us on this critical matter. What will happen if the challenges spill over to next year?
“People should be allowed to use receipts to vote. It is important that we should find a methodology so that every eligible citizen is able to vote. We were not aware that NRB would have challenges registering people therefore sub-section 12 should be amended.”
Section 4 (12) of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Act provides that eligible voters present proof of their national registration issued by the NRB.
In October last year, MEC asked NRB to intensify civil registration ahead of the 2025 elections voter registration exercise set for September.
MEC chairperson Chifundo Kachale, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said the commission will only register as a voter those with valid national IDs.
NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo acknowledged the urgency of the matter and said the bureau has procured new printers which will start operating this month to produce 1 200 cards every eight hours, an improvement from the previous ones which printed 250.
NRB was expected to register 1.5 million people who turned 16 years by 2023 and will form part of first-time voters as they will be 18 by 2025
