Malawi is today holding presidential elections ordered by the Judiciary and funded by the Government, showing to the world that the Southern African country can run things independently.
Over 6.8 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at more than 5,000 polling stations across the country.
MEC chairperson Chifundo Kachale assured Malawians on Sunday that the electoral process will go on smoothly.
His commission was given the task of organising elections in 150 days from February 3, 2020 when the Constitutional Court nullified the 2019 elections.
With K19 billion funding from the Malawi Government, MEC printed ballot papers last week and finalised dispatching of electoral materials to polling centres on Monday.
The Government is, however, yet to provide K10 billion from the budgeted K29 billion and Kachale said the deficit is needed for the commission to pay suppliers and providers of various services, including security officers.
The COVID-19 pandemic which has led to travel restrictions across the world means there will be no international observers to monitor the process.
MEC is relying on political party monitors and an army of observers deployed by local organisations to observe the polls with the Malawi Defence Force and Malawi Police providing the required security.
The commission also held presidential elections last year, but the Constitutional Court nullified the polls due to widespread irregularities which the court said affected the results.
President Peter Mutharika, who was declared winner in the 2019 polls, appealed at the Supreme Court saying the February 3 Judgment had errors which needed to be cured.
But the Supreme Court of Appeal on May 8 agreed with Constitutional Court.
