Realising the importance of election monitoring, the National Initiative for Civic Education Trust (NICE) in Chiradzulu, is training observers to achieve a credible poll.
The training which started on Saturday and ends today, has targeted 85 stationed monitors and 20 roving ones.
Speaking on Sunday amid the training at St. Michael’s primary school, NICE’s Regional Civic Education Officer for the South, Christopher Naphiyo, said monitors are very crucial in an election for transparency and accountability purposes.
“As you know, we are an independent body, and as usual we are objective in our dealings. So our involvement in the election only brings sanity in the whole process and trust from people,” he said.
Naphiyo added that another set of Observers will be stationed at the District and Main Tally Centres, to monitor results management, so that Malawians should be able to get unbiased and undistorted information.
On measures put in place to minimise voter apathy, he said the Trust has been engaging political parties to mobilise their subjects to vote in large numbers on June 23.
“I must say I am very impressed with how political parties have performed in terms of mobilising their followers to cast their ballot.
“Almost all parties hinted on this during campaign, and I am happy to say that our feedback indicates that many people are geared to vote,” he explained.
One of the trainees, Dalitso Nalikwekwe, hailed NICE for the training, saying it will help them to act accordingly in their positioned polling centres.
“We believe that our involvement in this electoral process, will ensure peace and order as well as building trust in candidates and their followers. This will help them accept results voluntarily based on our non-partisanship,” she said.
