MEC resumes voter registration for Malawi fresh elections: Second phase starts Monday

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says phase two of two-week long voter registration for the forthcoming  fresh presidential slection will commence Monday next week.

MEC’s Chief Elections Officer Sam Alfandika says in a statement made available to Nyasa Times  that areas covered will be Rumphi, Likoma, Dowa, Lilongwe District, Lilongwe City, Luchenza Municipality, Phalombe, Mulanje and Thyolo

“The Commission is aware that phase one ended prematurely and will revisit the councils covered after the last phases of voter registration to ensure that all registration centers have run for the minimum statutory period of 14 days,” Alfandika says.

He says during the exercise the commission will make sure that those registered  have turned 18 and above, or will attain voting age by 11 June 2020 or never registered as voters during the 2019 Tripartite Elections and the three by-elections held thereafter.

“All voters who registered during the 2019 Tripartite Elections and the three by-elections held thereafter, need not register this time around. Those that have changed residences, should report to the new centres they now belong to in order to process transfers,” he says

For efficient processing Alufandika says voters are informed to bring along their voter certificates and those that lost their voter certificates should go and get duplicate certificates at the centre they registered.

“When going for registration, all new registrants are informed to take their national ID. The National Registration Bureau (NRB), has placed at least a team per ward to conduct national registration for all prospective voter registrants without a national ID,” he says.

All eligible voters without a national ID are advised to go to these centres first and register with NRB and thereafter use the slip as proof of registration to register as a voter with MEC.

To register with the NRB, a registrant are required  to bring along either two witnesses who are holders of national ID or a biological parent who holds a national ID.

“Those that have not registered for the national ID can also do so now at the District Commissioner’s office and post offices that have been designated for National Registration. Then they should bring the slip” says Alufandika.

The second phase comes after the supreme rejected the MEC’s application to have the polls suspended because of coronavirus.