MISA Malawi Pushes for Journalists to Be Included in Special Voting Provision Ahead of September Elections

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter is calling for journalists to be officially recognized as a special group under the Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government Elections Act, which is set to be amended during an emergency sitting of Parliament on Tuesday, August 5, 2025.

The amendment aims to allow essential service providers to vote outside their registered constituencies during the upcoming September 16 General Elections. Currently, the law restricts voters to casting their ballots only in their registered areas—a policy that could disenfranchise over 50,000 Malawians, including police officers, healthcare workers, and others on duty away from home.

MISA Malawi Chairperson Golden Matonga says journalists who will be deployed across the country to cover the polls, must also be considered essential and allowed to vote wherever they are assigned.

“Journalists are just like any other group in society. They pay taxes, they are citizens, and they have the right to vote,” Matonga said. “While we strongly advocate for a nonpartisan press, the law should not alienate media practitioners from exercising their civic rights.”

Matonga further emphasized that excluding journalists from such a crucial legal provision could weaken democratic participation, especially when the media plays a vital role in facilitating free, fair, and transparent elections.

In pursuit of this appeal, MISA Malawi has written to both the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General, requesting the inclusion of journalists among the designated essential service groups under the proposed legal amendments.

The emergency session of Parliament is expected to focus on refining electoral laws ahead of the September elections, where logistical and legal preparations remain under intense scrutiny.