Mzuzu huge turn out in poll registration: MEC registers 100 percent voters

Some voter registration centres in the City of Mzuzu have registered over 100% voter registration against the projected statistics, according to preliminary records of  the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) .

The records indicate that some centres such as Kaviwale School had registered  3470  against the projected 3156 representing 118% registration while Geisha School had registered  1107 against the projected 1042 representing 106% registration by day 12 of the exercise.

The registration statistics are expected to  rise sharply  on Friday as the voter registration exercise comes to an end.

Spot checks at over  six registration centres in the City  on Thursday revealed that while some centres had less than five people waiting to register at a time, queues were beginning to swell at other centres  as   fear of  being left out of  the voter registration gripped some residents.

According to Registration Supervisor for  Mzuzu CCAP Centre,  located in the central business area,   Chrissy Taphasira ,  daily registered voters had more than doubled  this week and more people are expected to flock to the registration centres on Friday.

“Many people are registering. We had 401 registered  yesterday. Maybe this high turn up is due to the fact that closure is tomorrow and many people are flocking  to register and we do not know of tomorrow,” said Taphasira.

Taphasira , however, bemoaned the high numbers of people who want to register for the national IDs at the eleventh hour.

“Many people who are coming are coming to register for the national IDs for the first time and many have lost their IDs but they are all being processed here,” said Taphasira.

The Democratic  Progressive Party (DPP)  through its  Northern Region Governor Kenneth Sanga said that  the Party’s had observed a fair number of people participating in the voter registration exercise.

“ We have monitors in all the centres. We  are satisfied with the way the voter registration is going. In some centres where there are low numbers of people registering, we would have loved to see more people coming to register,” said Sanga.

Confirming reports of low numbers registering at some centres, MEC’s  District  Election’s Clerk Pilirani Simukonda  admitted that  low numbers were registered at mostly new voter registration centres.  According to Simukonda Kaligomba School and Mzuzu Government School   had also registered low figures  as was the trend at the two centres in 2013.

Another political party monitor, Regina Manda of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) who was stationed at St  Michael’s Centre   expressed satisfaction at the progress of the voter registration.

“ From my observation, there have not been any major issues here at this Centre, everything is going  on well. People are coming to register, “said Manda.

According to registration statistics posted  at St Michael’s school notice board,  over 1600 people had registered at the Centre  from day one to 12 of voter registration.

But Registration Supervisor  Mazganga Banda decried the  low number of women registering at St Michael’s Centre.

Observation at  six of  the registration centres also revealed voter registration figures  from day one to day 12 of the exercise   are being openly  displayed  on black boards at the centres for media and all visitors to the centres, in a bid to ensure transparency and  accountability of the registration process.

The eighth and final phase of  the biometric  voter registration exercise  started on Saturday, October 27   and ends on Friday November 9 in  Mzuzu City, Nkhata Bay, Likoma and Mzimba.

MEC through its Chairperson has reiterated that the final results from all the phases of the voter registration exercise will be produced once all the data  from all the biometric voter registration kits has been  transferred  and all causes of variance such as  duplicates  and transfers have been  managed.

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