The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has turned down a request from Chisankho Watch, a group of local election observers, to look at the full voters’ list. The group wanted to check if the list is complete and correct, so they could confirm it independently.
MEC’s top official, Andrew Mpesi, wrote a letter on June 5 saying that the commission cannot share the voter list beyond what the law allows. The law being followed is the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections (PPLGE) Act.
Chisankho Watch is made up of several groups — including the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Public Affairs Committee, m-Hub, and the Gender Justice Unit. They had asked MEC for access to different versions of the voters’ list — including old ones from the 2019 and 2020 elections.
They also asked for detailed information such as each voter’s name, date of birth, gender, where they live, national ID number, registration number, and date of registration — all in a format that computers can analyse.
The law allows MEC to share the voters’ list so voters, political parties, and observers can check that the information is right. But in his letter, Mpesi said the commission already let people check the list at registration centers and MEC offices.
He said: “The commission thanks you for promising to protect people’s information and for your support for fair elections. But we must follow the law and protect voter information, as required.”
Speaking yesterday, Chisankho Watch chairperson Gilford Matonga said they wanted to use smart computer programs to find any mistakes or strange patterns in the voters’ list. He said they still respect MEC’s role in running elections and want to work together to build trust in the voting process.
Last week, MEC also said no to a plan by five opposition parties. These parties had asked to do their own check of MEC’s election systems.
Reacting to all this, political expert Ernest Thindwa said the requests show that some people don’t fully trust MEC, even though it is trying to follow the law. He added: “MEC has a hard job. It must show that it is fair to everyone, but not everyone will believe that no matter what it does.”
Malawi will vote on September 16, 2025 to choose a President, 229 Members of Parliament, and 509 ward councillors. So far, 7.2 million people have signed up to vote.
This is not the first time they reject people, they started from HERE.
