The Electoral Commission (EC) of Malawi says it wants to attract a high voter turnout in the 2014 tripartite elections.
EC commissioner Gloria Chingota said this in old Malawi’s capital, Zomba, on Monday during a five-day Building Resources in Democracy Governance and Elections (Bridge) Workshop for district elections clerks.
She said civic and voter educations are a prime concern for the commission because some groups in society, particularly the youth, the disabled, the elderly and women are reluctant to vote.
She said there is need to reach such groups to achieve maximum voter participation.
“Voter apathy is a problem in Malawi and the whole Sadc region. This workshop aims at re-equipping district elections clerks so that they can provide civic and voter education that is effective and reduces voter apathy.
“Democracy is driven by various stakeholders and all misconceptions have to be dealt with accordingly to renew the confidence of voters,†said Chingota.
Balaka district elections clerk Davis Kanondo said the workshop was important because it would empower them to coordinate civic and voter education at district level.
