By Wezzie Gausi:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says it will contract six civil society organizations (CS0s) that have a national footprint to offer civic and voter education in preparation for the September 2025 general elections.
The six CSOs will be contracted as part of the Malawi Electoral Support Project (Mesp), which key national authorities and development partners have established to help the 2025 elections run smoothly.
UNDP Country Representative Shigeki Komatsubara told The Daily Times that the six CSOs will be responsible for spurring citizens participation in electoral processes.
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He said they non- State actors will also ensure that there is accountability in the management of elections, which are administered by the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec).
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He said the six CSOs will be competitively recruited through a transparent and open process.
“Among the CSOs, two will champion women’s participation in electoral processes; two will focus on the youth as their primary target while the last two will target the general public. Altogether, the CSOs will work closely with Mec, the institution that has exclusive mandate to regulate and accredit CSO that offer voter education,” Komatsubara said.
Mec Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi said the institution is ready to work with organisations that will be recruited.
He said Mec will need all support it can get from stakeholders for the country to have credible and fair elections in 2025.
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“We, as Mec, are happy that UNDP has come to our rescue. When it comes to general elections, many things are involved and having CSO partners will help us overcome numerous challenges that erupt during the election period,” Mpesi said.
Meanwhile, UNDP has said it plans to launch the Elections Operation Plan for 2023/2025 on August 11 2023.
