MEC bows down to Karonga residents’ demand: Shifts voter registration period
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has bowed down to demands from people in northern district of Karonga who asked the electoral body to change registration period allocated for the district slated from December 5. It has now been scheduled for September end.
Clerk for MEC in the district, Hastings Manda told Nyasa Times that due to the petition that people of Karonga presented to MEC headquarters through the office of the District Commission, the electoral body has considered to shift the registration dates.
Karonga residents had earlier protested against the period allocated to them saying it would coincide with rainy season which would pose travel problems to registration centres to those living in remote areas.
They also said December is the month when most of them are busy cultivating in the fields so it could be challenging to leave their gardens and spend time queuing for registration.
“According to our calendar registration exercise in Karonga was supposed to be conducted on the ninth phase but considering that some of the areas are hard to reach which sometimes we use helicopter to go there it would have been expensive to us to do that during registration period,” Manda said.
“We thought clinging to the date was like denying them their right to vote that is why we have shifted it to be in a fifth phase and as you are aware that that on Thursday 12 September we are starting the fourth phase which means just after these two weeks the next phase will be here,” said Manda.
He therefore appealed to accredited organizations in the district to intensify and start telling people about the change saying as the date is just near and need to reach to everyone to make sure that their rights have been respected.
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