Second phase of voter registration starts Monday

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has announced it will run the second phase of the voter registration excercise from Monday, April 27 to May 10, 2020.

A total of ten councils will be involved in the second phase of the registration.

The councils include Rumphi, Likoma, Dowa, Lilongwe District, Lilongwe City, Luchenza Municipality, Phalombe, Mulanje and Thyolo

According to Sam Alfandika Chief Elections Officer in a statement issued on Thursday said MEC will register those that have turned 18 and above, or will attain voting age by 11 June 2020 and those who never registered as voters during the 2019 Tripartite Elections and the three by-elections held thereafter.

The Commission says there is a slight change as Mzimba North and Mzuzu, for logistical purposes have been shifted to the third phase while Dowa has been brought into the second phase.

The Commission said it is aware that phase one ended prematurely and will revisit the councils covered after the last phase of voter registration to ensure that all registration centres have run for the minimum statutory period of 14 days.

In Blantyre registration closed three days earlier because of the violent disturbances that saw voter registration material being smashed. The city will be incorporated in the last phase.

All voters registered during the 2019 Tripartite Elections and the three by-elections held thereafter, need not register this time around.