The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has announced that it is borrowing a total of 1,500 electricity generators from the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
According to a press statement by the Director of Media and Public Relations at MEC, Sangwani Mwafulirwa, the gensets are intended for supplementary use during voter registration for the upcoming 2025 General Election.
Mwafulirwa explained that the Commission requires a total of 2,945 generators to carry out this exercise. Currently, it has 1,445 in stock, leaving a deficit of 1,500 generators, and added that the borrowing has become necessary to ensure sufficient backup power capacity to conduct voter registration without disruptions.
“The Commission is procuring 1,080 generators, but due to logistical challenges, this consignment will not arrive in time for the commencement of voter registration. The borrowed generators from ECZ are expected to arrive in the country on September 8, 2024, through Mchinji, and electoral stakeholders will be informed upon their arrival,” reads part of the statement.
The Commission noted that resource sharing among Electoral Management Bodies is a common best practice and a key objective of the Electoral Commission Forum for SADC Countries (ECF-SADC), to which both MEC and ECZ are members.
