Chisankho Watch has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to ensure that accredited observers are stationed at voter registration centres to boost voter confidence and encourage citizen participation.
Speaking during a press briefing at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, Bishop Gilford Matonga, Executive Director of Chisankho Watch, highlighted a concerning decline in voter registration attendance, with participation dropping from 74% in Phase 1 to 36% in Phase 2 of the registration process.
“Chisankho Watch observed that citizen observers, mainly from the National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust, were present in 49% of the registration centres observed,” said Matonga.
The organisation’s Phase 2 observer report also revealed that 56% of the CSO observers were women, demonstrating significant female involvement in the electoral oversight process.
According to Chisankho Watch, the presence of accredited observers builds voter trust and strengthens the democratic process. The organisation commended the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) for providing voter education in 98% of constituencies observed but raised concerns about gaps in compliance with the recent court directive for the National Registration Bureau (NRB) to expedite the issuance of national identity cards.
“Only 39% of registration centres observed could register new voters on-site,” reads a statement released after the briefing.
Chisankho Watch also flagged persistent issues of political misinformation and disinformation, which have deterred some citizens from participating in the registration process. Bishop Matonga noted that in districts such as Dowa, Nkhatabay, and Thyolo, some potential registrants refused to register, citing mistrust in the Election Management Device, which they perceived as being susceptible to manipulation.
As a nonpartisan coalition involving the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), Public Affairs Committee (PAC), Gender and Justice Unit (GJU), and Meeting Hub (Mhub), Chisankho Watch remains committed to promoting fair and transparent electoral processes.
The organisation has urged CSOs and stakeholders to work together in addressing misinformation, deploying more observers, and enhancing voter education to ensure a credible and inclusive voter registration process.
