By Ayang Macdonald<\/p>\n
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has announced that biometric voter registration will begin next month as part of preparations for the country\u2019s general elections slated for September 16, 2025.<\/p>\n
MEC Chairperson, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, made the announcement last Friday as she launched the 2025 election season under the theme \u201cpromoting democratic leadership through your vote,\u201d per a post on MEC\u2019s Facebook account.<\/p>\n
Mtalimanja said the voter registration exercise will unfold in three phases from September to December, and only those who have a national ID card will be allowed to register, according to Xinhua. The official also disclosed that foreign nationals who have lived in Malawi uninterruptedly for at least seven years are also eligible to register for the upcoming polls.<\/p>\n
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While MEC has stated clearly that only those with ID cards will be allowed to vote, some groups in Malawi are challenging the decision, saying it will disenfranchise citizens.<\/p>\n
One of such pressure groups is \u201cMalawi First, the People First\u201d and its leader, Bon Kalindo, says he will be leading a protest march on August 8 against the issue, Nyasa Times reports.<\/p>\n
Kalindo said in a recent press conference that the government must address the political and economic woes plaguing the country at the moment. Among the issues, he said there must be a halt to plans of carrying out voter registration using ID cards only, as announced by MEC. The activist also used his press conference to call for reforms within the NRB to make it possible for more people to easily acquire national ID cards in the country.<\/p>\n
In April, lawyers in Malawi also rejected the idea of making of the national ID the only proof of ID for the upcoming voter registration.<\/p>\n
A project to introduce a digital ID system in Malawi with the backing of the EU and UNDP was launched in May.<\/p>\n