Following the passing of the national budget by Parliament, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has revealed date for by-elections in some parts of the country.
According to a press statement released on Tuesday signed by MEC chairperson Jane Mayemu Ansah, the commission met on July 3 and 4, 2017 in Lilongwe to
among other things, deliberate on the conduct of by-elections.
Ansah said by-elections will be conducted in three constituencies and three wards which are currently vacant.
“The commission has resolved to conduct the by-elections on 17th
October, 2017.
“The commission will hold stakeholders’ meetings on 16th August, 2017 in all the six areas to explain more details about the electoral calendar,” reads part of the statement.
In coming up with the dates for the by-elections, the commission considered the need of the electorate to have representation in Parliament and councils.
MEC also considered the period that it takes for funds to be transferred from the Treasury to MEC accounts.
Of the six areas where the by-elections will take place, four are where the by-elections were scheduled to take place on 6th June, 2017 but were postponed because government said funding would not be available while the remaining two areas fell vacant in the past two months.
The areas where by-elections will take place include Lilongwe Msozi North Constituency, Lilongwe City South East Constituency, Nsanje Lalanje Constituency and Mayani North Ward in Dedza North Constituency.
There will also be by-elections in Mtsiliza Ward in Lilongwe City West Constituency and Ndirande Makata Ward in Blantyre Malabada.
