By Cathy Maulidi:
With only a few days left before voter registration commences in September, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security Wednesday summoned National Registration Bureau (NRB) officials to address concerns that have been raised by service users.
During the meeting, which was held at Parliament Building Wednesday, committee chairperson Salim Bagus asked NRB officials to provide a comprehensive report on the registration process, including figures from previous years and the current year.
“We need to see the numbers so that we compare the figures before we can clear the bureau of the allegations circulating on social media and from some political parties that the NRB is favouring certain districts in the ID registration process,” Bagus said.
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He added that the committee’s move to summon the bureau to an urgent meeting comes amid growing concerns that the NRB’s registration process may be disenfranchising eligible voters, particularly in districts that are perceived to be some political parties’ strongholds.
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The committee’s decision to summon the bureau coincides with a move by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to ask Parliament to amend electoral laws.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament George Chaponda is set to table a motion in the House that would allow members to amend the laws to allow the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) to accept alternative forms of identification for voter registration, rather than solely relying on the National ID.
According to the Order Paper, Chaponda, who is also Member of Parliament for Mulanje South West Constituency, will move a motion, which reads: “Considering that every citizen has the right to vote, as enshrined in Section 77 of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi; and considering that the Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government Elections Act only recognises national identification cards issued by the NRB as the criterion for voter registration eligibility; and given that discrepancies have been observed in the issuance of these cards, thereby impeding the right to vote; this House should resolve that a Private Member’s Bill be brought before the House to introduce alternative forms of identification for voter registration and voting.”
The proposed bill, according to DPP, seeks to introduce licences, passports and letters from traditional leaders as other acceptable identification documents during voter registration process.
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Speaking to The Daily Times after the meeting Wednesday, NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo said the bureau is doing everything possible to make sure every eligible voter gets registered.
“The NRB is very capable of registering everyone. Already, we have registered above 100 percent of the estimated number, according to the National Statistical Office. We have managed to register slightly over 12 million against the 11,500 target but we know that there are still others out there [who are] still in need of registration and we will reach out to all requiring the card to register to vote,” Sambo said.
Sambo also dismissed allegations that NRB was registering more people in some districts than others.
“The allegations are not true and not even closer to the truth,” he said.
During the launch of the 2025 election on August 2 this year, Mec Chairperson Judge Annabel Mtalimanja stated that proof of identification during voter registration remains the national ID and that those with no national ID would not be allowed to register to vote.
“In accordance with Section 12 of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act, a person who is eligible to be registered as a voter in an election shall, as proof of eligibility, present in person to a registration officer, proof of his or her national registration issued by the National Registration Bureau. In terms of the National Registration Act, this is the National ID.” Mtalimanja said.
She, therefore, proceeded to state that Mec would not register those without national IDs, adding that those with expired national IDs would be allowed to register.
