Ballot papers have arrived in the country ahead of next Tuesday’s by-elections which will be held in seven constituencies and two wards.
The ballot papers printed by Al Ghurair and Publishing LLC arrived on Friday in a Fly Emirates cargo plane that landed at Kamuzu International Airport at 11:30 am.
The arrival ceremony drew various electoral stakeholders including political parties, donors, security personnel from Malawi Police services and Malawi Defence Forces.
Speaking during the ceremony, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson, Justice Chifundo Kachale said preparations for the by-elections are at an advanced stage.
“We are very excited with the arrival of the ballot papers because we earlier had logistics challenges and kept on changing dates but now that they are here we will soon be transporting them to districts where they will be distributed in polling centres,” said Kachale.
In his remarks, Ken Msonda who was Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) monitor at the airport expressed satisfaction with the exercise.
“We are satisfied because MEC has been engaging us in all the processes and we will be following up on the ground with our people to ensure that everything is in order and the ballot papers reach their destination,” said Msonda.
MEC is also currently conducting trainings countrywide for presiding officers who will manage the 30 March by-elections.
Campaign closes on Sunday, 28 March for the by-elections which are being held following deaths and court nullifications.
