The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has resolved to conduct a supplementary voter registration exercise in preparation for the 2025 General Election.
MEC statement indicates that the decision was made at a meeting on Monday, 16th December 2024, after reviewing the conduct of the three-phase voter registration exercise and considering the High Court’s ruling in the case of George Chipwaila and Others v. MEC and Attorney General.
The supplementary registration exercise will target specific groups of eligible voters. In Councils under Phase 1, the exercise will run for five days, targeting only eligible voters who registered or would have registered with the National Registration Bureau (NRB) from 21st October 2024.
Phases 2 and 3 l target eligible voters who presented themselves at voter registration centres and applied for civil registration with the NRB but were not issued their unique National ID number by the close of the voter registration and were consequently unable to register as voters.
“During the supplementary voter registration exercise in Phases 2 and 3, there will be no fresh civil registration by NRB at the voter registration centres. However, NRB staff will be present to provide identification and verification services for applicants that will have challenges with their proof of national registration,” MEC stated.
The Commission says it will issue specific communication regarding the dates and modalities for the supplementary voter registration exercise.
Electoral stakeholders, including opposition parties, have been pushing for MEC to conduct supplementary voter registration exercises to address challenges experienced.
