National identity (ID) card glitches in voter registration centres emerged as the main challenge during the second phase of the registration for the September 16 2025 General Elections which ended on Friday, observations show.
However, despite the challenges, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has described the exercise as a success because the commission reached eligible registrants in all targeted areas.
The second phase of the voter registration was conducted from November 9 to November 22 2024 in Likoma, Rumphi, Nkhata Bay, Ntcheu, Kasungu, Dowa, Mchinji, Thyolo, Blantyre and Zomba.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, United Democratic Front (UDF) spokesperson Dyson Jangiya said the party observed that many registrants with issues relating to national IDs failed to register up to the last day of the exercise.
He said: “For example, in Blantyre, many were turned back to wait for three days for NRB [National Registration Bureau] to generate ID numbers to be used for MEC voter registration.
“There were also many cases of those who lost their IDs being turned back because their names were not found in NRB databank.”
Alliance for Democracy (Aford) spokesperson Annie Maluwa said while they noted some improvements as the exercise went on, the party is concerned that people without national IDs continue to face challenges to register with NRB and thereafter with MEC.
MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa has said the commission is currently reviewing the voter registration statistics and all challenges and successes encountered during the second phase.
“Based on this assessment, the commission will duly advise whether an extension of the registration period is appropriate,” he said.
MEC communications officer Richard Mveriwa also disowned purported voter registration data for the second phase making rounds on social media platforms, saying the electoral body “is yet to release official figures”.
The Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act prescribes the national ID card or a registration notification slip issued by the NRB as the sole form identification for one to register as a voter.
