National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has warned voters in Nkhotakota District to be alert and avoid misinformation and disinformation during the campaign period.
Speaking on Tuesday during one of the meetings at Msamala in Traditional Authority Mwadzama in the district, Nkhotakota Nice programmes officer Hellina Mwimba emphasised the importance of verifying information sources to avoid misinforming others.
She said sharing unverified information could incite violence and could deter eligible voters from participating in the elections.
“With the coming of the Internet and social media these days, misinformation is flying all over and this can have a negative impact on the election. We need to disown misinformation and disinformation because we are in a critical time where tempers are high as the election days is near,” said Mwimba.
She also encouraged people to maintain peace and unity during the campaign period, keep their voter registration certificates safe and attend political party meetings for them to make informed decisions.
On her part, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) civic education assistant Mphatso Chiwaya clarified that voting would be done using ballot papers, not machines as other social media platforms have been propagated.
She said: “Everyone will cast his or her own vote which is one person for one vote. We disown the social media fake news that voting shall be done through machines.
“We all have a responsibility to vote. We also have responsibility to reject fakes news.”
Group village head Msamala urged his subjects to refrain from violence.
Nkhotakota District has 172 305 eligible registered voters
