Some members of Parliament (MPs) have asked the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to change names of constituencies, saying they confuse constituents in identification.
The MPs raised the concerns during MEC’s consultative meeting with traditional and community leaders in Lilongwe on Wednesday.
In his contribution, Lilongwe Mpenu Nkhoma legislator Collins Kajawa said Lilongwe Mpenu and his constituency are among the constituencies that confuse the public.
He said: “The names of these constituencies must be revised. In my case, we have Lilongwe Mpenu and Lilongwe Mpenu Nkhoma constituencies, which raises confusion when it comes to addressing both in Parliament and mailing.
“We, therefore, suggest Lilongwe Mpenu Nkhoma be changed to Lilongwe Nkhoma.”
In response, MEC chairperson Chifundo Kachale said changing names is the responsibility of the designated constituency’s stakeholders.
He said: “Names of the constituencies do not originate from MEC, but through consultations with stakeholders within the constituency. If MEC imposes names, then it will create chaos as some will be opposing it.”
Kachale said so far, he was impressed with the feedback MEC got from electoral stakeholders.
The commission is expected to conduct the consultative meetings in all the 28 districts.
MEC hopes that by November 2022 the process will have been completed.
