The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and the National Registration Bureau (NRB) have announced a supplementary voter registration exercise aimed at addressing challenges faced during the initial registration phases.
The exercise is expected to run between early January and February 2025.
The decision follows a High Court order issued in October mandating the NRB to ensure all eligible Malawians can register for the 2025 elections.
Speaking during a joint press conference, Mec Chairperson Anabel Mtalimanja said that the exercise would target citizens who were unable to register due to delays in the issuance of national identification numbers by the NRB.
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“This is not an extension of the voter registration exercise but a supplementary effort to comply with the court order and ensure no eligible voter is left behind,” Mtalimanja said.
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A court ruling delivered on October 25, 2024, required the NRB to establish mechanisms to register and provide unique identifiers to all eligible citizens who present themselves at voter registration centres but lack proof of eligibility.
Challenges during the initial registration phases, which ran from October 21 to December 11, included the absence of NRB teams at some centres and delays in processing identification numbers for citizens who had applied for registration.
The supplementary voter registration will be done in phases in councils.
Phase 1 will specifically target individuals who were unable to register due to the unavailability of NRB teams when voter registration began on October 21, 2024.
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Phases 2 and 3 of the registration will target citizens who applied for national identification during voter registration but did not receive their unique ID numbers in time.
NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said the issuance of unique identification numbers for those who registered during the voter registration period is complete.
“NRB plans to conduct advance civil registration for first-time applicants. This will ensure all necessary identification processes are completed before supplementary voter registration begins,” he said.
NRB estimates that processing a new application will take a minimum of 24 hours.
Phase 3 will run from 10 to 14 January 2025; Phase 2 will be conducted in councils from 20 to 24th January 2025 and Phase 1 will run from 30 January to 3 February 2025.
Commenting on the development Chisankho Watch Coalition’s Chairperson, Bishop Gilford Matonga, said it is the duty of Mec and NRB to register everyone who is eligible to vote in the 2025 general elections.
“We don’t want any excuses from NRB during the supplementary registration; let those eligible register; this is what democracy entails,” Matonga said.
