Opposition fails to provide monitors for voter registration

Poll managers, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has called on the opposition to provide monitors for the ongoing voter registration exercise to give the exercise credibility.

MEC chairperson Jane Ansah said this on Monday in Thyolo where she visited four centres at the start of phase five of the registration exercise where she found ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) monitors only.

“This has been the case in all the registration crntres since we started the registration exercise. Only the DPP and MCP have sent monitors for the exercise, this is not good at all. We want all political parties which want to take part in the elections to send their monitors,” said Ansah.

Phase five of the registration exercise started on Sunday Neno, Balaka, Mulanje, Thyolo, Phalombe and Luchenza.

Ansah said it was imperative for the political parties to send the monitors to monitor how the registration exercise was going on to avoid suspicions and give credibility to the whole exercise.

In an earlier interview, United Democratic Front  (UDF) spokesperson Ken Ndanga said the party was busy with the preparations for its party elective convention and now it is over the party would now send the monitors.

United Transformation Movement spokesperson Dr. Joseph Chidanti Maluga said the movement wanted to register as a party first before sending the monitors to the voter registration centres.

Ansah said the has been high turn up on the first days of the registration exercise in Thyolo and Mulanje.