By Daniel Zimba:
The Malawi Council of Disability Affairs (Macoda) has expressed dissatisfaction with the participation and empowerment of people with disabilities in processes leading up to the general elections scheduled for September 16.
Macoda Executive Director George Chiusiwa voiced these concerns when commenting on the commencement of the nomination paper collection exercise Tuesday.
He noted that the current efforts by political parties and other stakeholders have been inadequate.
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However, Chiusiwa acknowledged what he called the positive initiatives undertaken by the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) to foster inclusivity in the electoral process in line with the nation’s electoral laws.
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“Mec has been engaging with us consistently but the challenge lies primarily with political parties and other organisations responsible for raising awareness about the electoral processes,” he said.
Chiusiwa told The Daily Times that 137,935 people with disabilities are registered to vote in the elections accounting for approximately 1.92 percent of Malawi’s population.
He said this figure is significantly lower than the estimated 12 percent of the global population that consists of people with disabilities, the majority of whom are eligible to vote.
Chiusiwa added that as of Tuesday, Macoda, together with the Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi, had received around 50 applications from aspiring candidates seeking disability certification.
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However, most of these candidates expressed their intention to contest as independents, he said.
According to Chiusiwa these figures suggest that political parties have not done enough to create a conducive environment for inclusive politics as they prepare for the elections.
In a televised message, Mec Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja assured that the commission has planned to support aspiring candidates with disabilities in a special way to ensure inclusivity during the elections.
Mtalimanja said that such candidates will pay half the nomination fees set by the commission provided they present disability certificates issued by Macoda.
Malawi is expected to hold presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in just 98 days.
