Malawi’s Parliament has passed a contentious amendment to the Elections Act, prompting fierce backlash over the exclusion of journalists and independent observers and fueling accusations of political interference ahead of the 2025 general elections.
The law, rushed through an emergency parliamentary session called by President Lazarus Chakwera, allows polling staff, security personnel, and political party monitors to vote at their assigned posts on election day. Government officials say the move will safeguard the voting rights of more than 80,000 essential workers who might otherwise be disenfranchised due to their deployment.
“This was a constitutional crisis in the making,” said Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda. “We are restoring fairness to the electoral process.”
Justice Minister Titus Mvalo described the amendment as a necessary correction to gaps left during the post-2019 electoral reforms. Under the new law, eligible voters must present both a voter certificate and official authorisation from the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to cast their ballots away from home.
But the amendment has come under fire for explicitly excluding journalists and accredited election observers, groups that civil society leaders argue play a critical role in safeguarding democratic integrity.
“Every Malawian who plays a vital role in the electoral process deserves a voice,” said Benedicto Kondowe, Chairperson of the National Advocacy Platform. “This amendment falls short of that basic democratic principle.”
Opposition parties have condemned the legislation, calling it a politically driven manoeuvre to tilt the electoral playing field. Leader of Opposition George Chaponda labelled the emergency session “a manipulation of democratic processes,” and criticised the law’s limitation to presidential ballots only, excluding parliamentary and local government races for those voting outside their constituencies.
Chaponda also decried the sidelining of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, which had advised against the bill. In a dramatic session, 94 MPs voted to reject the committee’s report, clearing the way for the legislation’s swift passage.
The bill passed with 104 votes in favour, 64 against, and 11 abstentions, bypassing the standard 28-day waiting period for new laws, a move that has drawn further scrutiny over legislative transparency
While government officials have framed the amendment as a necessary safeguard of voter rights, critics warn that it reflects deeper fractures in Malawi’s political landscape and undermines trust in the integrity of the upcoming 2025 elections.
