MEC concerned with poor turn up for voter registration in Lhomwe belt
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has said very few people are coming out to register in the on-going voter registration exercise for the May 21, 2019 polls as compared to previous years.
The fifth phase of the registration, which started on September 2 and will end on September 15, is in the progress in five districts of Balaka, Neno, Thyolo, Phalombe and Mulanje.
MEC Chairperson, Jane Ansah expressed concern on Friday in an interview, noting that although the commission adopted various interventions to encourage people to register, the turnout was poor.
“We have conducted various awareness campaigns to the extent of involving institutions such as National Initiative for Civic Education, churches as well as traditional leaders but sadly, people are not coming out to register.
“We also partnered with mobile phone operators such as TNM and Airtel to alert people about the exercise through text messages, but the turn up still remains discouraging,” Ansah said.
Ansah, however, wondered why people have chosen not to register this time around when the registration process was both fast and efficient.
“This year’s exercise is less time-demanding and cannot be compared to previous years’ exercises. It saves time since a National Identification (ID) is used to extract and enter people’s details into the system.
“Using the biometric machine, MEC was supposed to register a large population more than their projected figures,” she said.
“Of course, we know that previously people rushed to register because they wanted to have the MEC ID which they used in accessing public services and because we are not offering an ID anymore, we assume that could be the main reason,” added the MEC chief.
Blantyre District, which was among the four districts in the fourth phase of the exercise, registered 73 per cent against the commission’s projection of 100 per cent, according to Ansah.
Despite the low turn up, Ansah assured that MEC would continue with the awareness campaigns and encourage people to come out in their large numbers to register in the voters roll.
On whether MEC would conduct a second round of voter registration exercise, Ansah said the commission will have to analyze the outcome of the results after all phases have been completed.
“The final results of the whole exercise will determine whether we should carry out another registration exercise, but now only in those areas where the turn up was too poor,” she said.
The voter registration exercise, which is being conducted in phases, started in the central region and currently it is being done in the southern region. In the completed four phases, MEC registered 3,721,774 people, representing 81 per cent of the projected 4,619,174 eligible voters.
Of the total figure, 1, 980,068 are women while 1,741,199 are men. The last phases will be held in the Northern Region.
MEC has since appealed to the general public to join hands and encourage people to register and participate in next year’s tripartite elections.
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Kodi nchifukwa ninji anthu enanu mumaganiza ngati nkhuku? Nkhani ili apa si ya alomwe koma aMalawi.Stop the hate
dont fool us jane ansah. kumanena choncho kuti anthu mitima izizire poti pa central simunapange zolongosoka?
mubwerezabe. paja tapititsa ku khoti nkhani yi
Since when did Blantyre become the lhomwe belt? Presidents are not declared winners by the percentage of voters. The absolute numbers determine the winner. Mind you 60℅ from the lhomwe belt is more than 90℅ from the gule wamkulu belt in absolute numbers. Mwagwa nayo, APM will carry the day.
@ Hatton It this an analysis or wish?. I pitty you very much with your level of inadquecies. Anyway, even an aford supporter will tell us that chihana/mwenefumbo will carry the day. That’s what bafoonary is all about and that’s what party sycophants like you , santana, Noxy, Lilian, hard truth and others would always proclaim. But the fact of the matter is simply Malawians are not ready to continue with this inept and incompetent mutharika and a criminal entreprise called DPP . Mark my words. If our brothers and sisters in the LOMWE belt were happy or convinced with… Read more »
Stupid cadet. You will be disappointed.
Anakana kale chule ameneyu. Mxiew!
People are not registering because they are disappointed with their lhomwe MPs.
To the extent that dpp is hiring Mozambicans. Ntchito mwasiyira George Malemia aka resurrected Nankhumwa Kondwani.
It means people are tired of DPP’s members of parliament and the president kkkkkkk. Chakwera could have seized the opportunity to attack MEC that aligned itself with DPP to despise MCP where there was low turnout in central region.
Ansah and Dausi please don’t go back to Mlakho wa Lomwe. You refused to go back to Dedza and Kasungu. You futher said people were frustrated with their MPs for not delivering. We are closely watching you.
Now because it is Lhomwe belt MEC will now agree to re-register, when the same concerns were observed in Chewa belt you insinuated that it is because people were disappointed by their MPs so this was a form of protest, now the narrative is changing. We are watching and listening to whatever you are doing
No, no and no. MEC chairperson, don’t act double standards. Is it not you who told the nation that it’s not your responsibility to mobilise people for registration but the parties themselves. This was raised by MCP and it was not your responsibility, today, it’s in Lhonwe belt and you’re concerned. A Malawi, Kodi multparty democracy tizaidziwa liti? Anthu akuluakulu ngati inu kumachita izi, nanga ma cadet atani!?
We say no to this, no reregistration. Mudakana kale, extension nso mudakana. We are all Malawians amangwetu!!!
Quote Ansah well, she says where registration is TOO poor; underscore the word TOO.
Sure, quoted. But remember, there was that incident where people were mining gold around Nathenje, what did government do? Nothing…. And what did MEC do???? Zikuwaa pano??