The United Kingdom and the United Nations are considering to help fund the 2020 Malawi presidential elections.
British High Commissioner Holly Tett has told the local media that the UK government is looking at ways of assisting the country to comply with the Constitutional Court ruling that nullified the 2019 elections and ordered fresh elections.
“We welcome the [Malawi] Government’s commitment in the mid-term budget review to fund a substantial proportion of the upcoming Presidential polls. The UK is a long-standing supporter of Malawi’s democratic processes, including having previously supported the Law Commission’s work on electoral reforms. We are considering how to respond to the current context given the implications of Constitutional Court ruling,” she told the local media.
On her part, UN Resident Coordinator Maria Jose Torres said the UN through the United Nations Development Programme is also looking at ways of providing the required support for the fresh elections.
Last week, Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamvekha warned that it will be difficult for the Government to fund the election on its own.
He noted that the Malawi Electoral Commission submitted a provisional budget amounting to K32.8 billion for the fresh presidential elections but in the revised budget, K29.1 billion was allocated for the polls.
Mwanamvekha then revealed that government was discussing with development partners for financing of the difference and possible run-off election
