People’s Development Party (PDP) has expressed fear that many eligible voters will miss out on registration for the September 16 2025 General Elections because of the absence of National Registration Bureau (NRB) staff in voter registration centres.
In a statement yesterday, PDP secretary general Simeon Fortunate Phiri called on NRB to place officials in Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) voter registration centres to avoid disenfranchising people.
Reads the statement: “We fear that a significant portion of eligible voters may remain unregistered if this issue is not addressed promptly. This could lead to lower voter turnout and questions about the legitimacy of the election results.
“The effectiveness and transparency of electoral processes are crucial for public confidence in democracy. Any perceived barriers or failures in facilitating voter registration can undermine trust in government institutions.”
Section 12 of the Parliamentary, Presidential and Local Government Elections Act mandates MEC to accept a national identity (ID) card as the sole identification for voter registration.
On October 25, the High Court in Blantyre ordered NRB to be present in all voter registration centres to register people who present themselves without IDs.
Initially, NRB was only conducting ID verification services in the voter registration centres.
However, spot checks in voter registration centres in seven councils across the country on Monday indicated that NRB was yet to place staff and equipment for conducting voter registration and ID verification in the registration centres.
People without national IDs were being turned back and told to go to NRB offices mostly situated at district council offices.
In a statement on Sunday, NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said deployment of staff to registration centres was delayed by logistical challenges.
The second phase of voter registration started on November 9 and will end on November 22 in Zomba, Blantyre, Thyolo Luchenza, Ntcheu, Mchinji, Dowa, Kasungu, Nkhata Bay, Likoma and Rumphi.
