Malawi Electoral Commission MEC has extended the deadline for submission of names of monitors and observers to 15th April from 1st March.

According to MEC Chief Elections Officer Sam Alufandika this follows a request by some political parties that they needed more time to identify and recruit monitors who can effectively monitor the electoral process.

Alufandika has advised stakeholders that there shall be no further extension to this new deadline as the Commission also requires adequate time to process the accreditation.

He has reminded them that only political parties and independent candidates contesting in the elections will be allowed to place monitors in polling streams and tally centres.

Alufandika said they shall be allowed a maximum of two monitors per polling stream and two monitors at the constituency tally centre.

He further said the rest will fall under the observer category and each contesting political party or independent candidate shall be allowed a maximum of two monitors per polling stream and two monitors 2 at the Constituency Tally Centre.

Alufandika added that names of those monitors should be submitted to the MEC district offices and Parties as well as independent candidates shall also be allowed to place up to four monitors for the District Council Offices and the names should be submitted to the MEC district offices.

For the national tally centre, he said all contesting political parties and the independent presidential candidate shall be allowed to place up to 10 monitors.

Alufandika explained that names and electronic passport photos of the monitors should be sent to the MEC head office and all CSOs that will also place observers to be stationed at polling centres should submit names to the MEC district offices.

In addition all roving observers that will be stationed within a constituency should also have their names submitted to the MEC district offices and all roving observers from outside the constituency should have their IDs processed by the MEC head office.