Zomba chiefs push for electoral education
Senior Chief Malemia of Zomba says the country can have credible May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections if government and stakeholders invest their time and resources in electoral civic education.
He said this on Friday in Zomba during the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) meeting with chiefs in the district.
The meeting sought to empower chiefs to be instrumental in the administration of electoral processes in their jurisdictions.
“Failure to provide civic education to the electorate and aspirants on their roles and responsibilities in elections can compromise results,” he said.
It transpired during the meeting that some chiefs demand money to allow an aspirant to hold campaigns in their areas.
In response, Traditional Authority Nkagula dismissed the allegations, saying they are baseless and uncalled for.
“When aspiring candidates want to hold rallies on the same day, we shift one aspirant to another day. However, some aspirants think we have been paid to allow one candidate a rally venue and deny the other,” he said
On his part, CCJP programmes officer Bryce Chawinga challenged the chiefs to be familiarised with the electoral calendar to ensure fairness to everyone.