UN advises Malawi on peaceful elections
United Nations (UN) Emergency Relief coordinator and under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock has advised Malawi to sustain the status of conducting free, fair and credible elections.
His remarks come as Malawi is preparing for the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections which will see about 6.8 million registered voters electing the country’s President, 193 legislators and 462 ward councillors.
Lowcock spoke during the audience with President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Saturday where they discussed the impact of the UN support to Malawi.
He said: “This is an election year for Malawi, I believe Malawi will remain a model in conducting free, fair and peaceful elections in this African region. Elections are always contested, but that should be done in a peaceful manner.
“Malawi is among the first countries in Africa to manage peaceful transition of power from one ruling government to another after elections.”
Lowcock said the UN is supporting the election process through Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and that the UN is impressed with how MEC is conducting the process.
He also commended Malawi for the outstanding contribution to peace-keeping mission in countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the years.
On his part, Mutharika thanked the UN for the support in coordinating interventions towards humanitarian assistance in relation to the impact of climate change.
The President said Malawi launched the National Resilience Strategy which is in line with the Malawi Growth Development Strategy III that aims at strengthening interventions to economically empower vulnerable citizens.
The UN has been assisting Malawi through the financial support from the Central Emergency Response Fund set up to urgently help the most vulnerable people affected by the impact of climate change in African countries.
