Ballot papers for Malawi polls to arrive in early May

Ballot papers to be used in Malawi’s general elections set for May 20 general elections are expected to arrive in the country by second week of May, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) announced Monday.MEC chairperson Maxon Mbendera said in the commercial city of Blantyre that due to security reasons, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was the one producing the ballot papers through an international security printing company.

“We have been communicated that the ballot papers will jet in the country on the second week of May. The UNDP are the ones who identified and contracted the company in a process held in Copenhagen,” he said.

He said the company was awarded the contract on the basis of its experience in printing ballot papers for countries such as South Africa, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.

Malawi would for the first time conduct tripartite elections involving voting for a president, members of parliament and local government councillors.