MEC clears fears of foreigners’ registration

The fifth phase of voter registration exercise started on a positive note in Mulanje despite fears that some Mozambicans would try to register as voters to get Malawi’s national citizen identification (ID) cards.

However, launching the fifth phase of the voter registration exercise on Sunday, MEC chairperson Jane Ansah said each voter registration centre has a team of monitors who will be identifying eligible registrants.

“The commission has put all the necessary measures in place to ensure that only eligible people should register. Local monitors will verify if the applicant is indeed a Malawian citizen,” she said.

Recently, there have been fears by some concerned groups in Mulanje that Mozambicans would try to register in Malawi following the successful rollout of the biometric voter registration system which is using the national ID card to qualify one as a voter.

National Registration Bureau (NRB) assistant district registrar Wellingtone Kalambo confirmed that his office has been receiving a number of Mozambicans trying to register as Malawian citizens.

“We have had a number of cases, especially from Muloza where chiefs could identify an individual as a Malawian, but after interviewing him we could discover that he is a Mozambican,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mulanje district commissioner Charles Makanga warned chiefs against backing Mozambicans to register.