MBC to air campaign programmes for all presidential candidates

Tax-funded Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) will now start airing a 30 minute programme featuring all the seven  presidential contestants in the watershed May 21 2019 tripartite elections.

The programmes will be aired both on MBC Radio Radio and Television from Monday to Sundays.

This is in accordance with Section 63(2) of the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act.

The section stipulates that the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), may on arrangement with MBC, allocate time on the television and radio during which political parties may be allowed to speak in campaigning for an election and the Commission shall allocate equal time to every political party.

A statement released by MEC reveals that the commission wrote all aspiring presidential candidates on 1st March, 2019 requesting them to submit prerecorded three minute campaign messages for radio and television by 15th March, 2019.

Unfortunately, only three parties namely Tikonze Peoples Movement, Mbakuwaku Movement for Development and Umodzi Party have submitted their messages despite several reminders by the Commission secretariat to the Secretaries General of the parties.

Meanwhile, the public broadcaster has developed a schedule for airing the messages.

Finally, the Commission is tirelessly informing the public that all the presidential candidates have been invited for recording of their campaign programmes.

Malawian go into polls on 21st May 2019 to elect a new president to govern the country in the next five years.