Over 160 000 register to vote in October 17 by-elections
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it has registered a total of 160,476 voters in preparation for the October 17 by-elections.
MEC is expected to hold by-elections in Lilongwe Nsozi North Constituency, Mayani North Ward in Dedza, Lilongwe City South East Constituency, Mtsiliza Ward in Lilongwe, Ndirande Makata Ward in Blantyre and Nsanje Lalanje Constituency.
According to MEC, a total of 121,507 have registered in the central region while 38,969 have registered in the Southern Region. Among them, 12,428 are newly registered voters.
Mec further said a total of 137 streams have been set aside for the by-elections.
MEC Director of Media and Public Relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa has since urged political parties and Civil Society Organisations to place at least two monitors per streams.
Mwafulirwa has also reminded concerned parties to submit names of monitors for polling to the councils byOctober 6, 2017.
The registration and voter verification exercises were carried out from August 24 to 28, 2017.
MEC Chief Elections Officer Harris Potani attributed the good turnout of first-time registrants to a good civic education and mass mobilization strategy whereby it held meetings in the communities, sent teams with loud-hailers and also distributed letters to all churches and traditional leaders.
