Political Parties office appeals for patience
Registrar of Political Parties Kizito Tenthani has appealed for patience from expectant stakeholders that his office is not ‘fully’ established to effectively implement its mandate.
In his presentation in Lilongwe on Tuesday to the Electoral Stakeholders Reference Group on Political Parties (ESRG), the registrar said following his recruitment a few weeks ago, he is working to set up an office and is looking forward to developing regulations which will allow the office to function as required.
Said Tenthani: “What we are doing now is to put together what I am calling a reference group. We want people from different sectors– the civil society, political parties, academia, Malawi Law Society and others who are of interest to the Act, to develop these regulations.”
He said all things being equal, he would have loved to have this task completed by end of this year.
Development of regulations requires not only consultations with relevant stakeholders, but also a hand from the Ministry of Justice which drafts these subsidiary legislation.
Among the questions of interest to the registrar during yesterday’s plenary was the readiness of the office to enforce the law ahead of the September 2025 General Elections.
Tenthani said, while the law relates to election in some aspects, it is not just for elections, hence time frames for their activities should not be tied to elections.
Reacting to Tenthani’s sentiments ESRG coordinator Christopher Naphiyo, who also represents National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Public Trust, said they are not piling pressure on the registrar but they want to understand how civil society can come in to ensure that the office works as required.
He said while they understand Tenthani’s position, CSOs want to see the law at work sooner than later.
“We are actually here to appreciate these challenges so that we can work together with the registrar. We have a critical role to ensure that this law is publicised to the public who must demand accountability in case parties breach the law.
“This law has been understood only in the context of handouts but there is more people ought to know to seek accountability.” said Naphiyo.