The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it will extend the first phase of the voter registration exercise which is under way in some parts of the country.

In a statement, MEC Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja says this will be done to address the period when citizen registration services were not available at voter registration centres immediately after the court ruling on national identity cards case on October 25, 2024.

“The specific dates and duration of this extension will be announced at the conclusion of phase 3,” Mtalimanja says.
She says MEC will engage the National Registration Bureau (NRB) to ensure that the citizen registration processes are done as prescribed by the order and directive of the court.

This comes barely a day after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) UTM, United Democratic Front (UDF), and Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) yesterday gave MEC 14 days to address their concerns which among others bordered on the need for the electoral body to suspend the first phase of the registration exercise citing the phase is facing a number of challenges.

Source:Times