Former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki has hailed Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) for its commitment during elections.

Mbeki said this during a briefing press briefing to the press in the Malawi commercial city of Blantyre on Thursday.

In his remarks Mbeki said Malawi’s tripartite elections have so far been handled with “professionalism and dedication.”

He said that the opening, voting, closing and counting processes at the polling stations were handled with “efficiency and commitment,” and commended the country for ensuring a peaceful electoral process to date.

Mbeki said although the initial pace of tallying was slow, the observer group would continue to follow progress in the days ahead. 

 He stressed the importance of the Malawi Electoral Commission being given the time and space of eight days to conclude its work as stated in the law books.

“It was noted that, for the 2019 elections and for the first time in its electoral history, Malawi adopted a biometric voter registration process. In addition to collecting voters’ biographical data, their photographs were captured,” Mbeki told the press. 

“The voter registration process was also tied to the government’s national civil registration process, through which citizens were provided with national ID cards. These innovations enhanced the integrity of the process,” he added.

Mbeki, who is leading the Commonwealth Elections Observer Mission to this southern African state, said his group’s next briefing is set for 28 May.