* The amendment of the Bill will assist citizens to vote elsewhere after being deployed by their respective workplaces on the polling day
* The current legal framework limits voting strictly to the centre where the voter registered
By Lesnat Kenan & Mervis Mwale, MANA
Parliament has passed the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Amendment Bill (Bill No. 23 of 2025) which aims to allow polling staff, security personnel, journalists and party representatives to vote at the stations where they will be deployed to by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).
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Speaking at Parliament in Lilongwe yesterday, Leader of the House, Richard Chimwendo Banda, stated that the Bill seeks to safeguard voting rights for Malawians.
“The amendment of the Bill will assist citizens to vote elsewhere after being deployed by their respective workplaces on the polling day,” he said, adding that the current legal framework under Section 74 of Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act, limits voting strictly to the centre where the voter registered.
It was presented by Minister of Justice, Titus Mvalo, who said on the polling day, security personnel, monitors, commissioners and party representatives among others will be allowed to vote after being given authorisation from MEC.
He, therefore, urged all citizens who registered in other centers and will be deployed to other areas to have their voter registration and verification from MEC saying this will help to account every ballot that is cast at any polling station over and above any particular centre.
The Bill will allow over 80,000 people have the right to vote even in the centres they did not register.
The august House has adjourned sine die and stands dissolved as it was reconvened by President Chakwera to specifically debate on the amendment of the Act.
In accordance with Section 67 (1) of the Constitution, the 2019-2025 Parliament was dissolved on July 23 pending the September 16 general elections.
Section 67 (4) of the Constitution states that if, between the dissolution of the National Assembly and the General Election that follows, the President is of the opinion that a constitutional crisis or emergency has arisen, he may reconvene the National Assembly for that purpose alone.
Thus the President called for Parliament to reconvene on August 5 to amend the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act (No. 10 of 2023) in order to provide for polling staff, representatives of candidates and political parties and officers from security agencies to vote at polling stations where they are deployed.
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They include MEC staff at various locations, polling centre personnel deployed from far places, police and military security personnel deployed to polling centre or other strategic locations, political party monitors, and others — who will by reason of job posting be away from where they registered.
The previous law mandated that one can only vote where they registered or transferred to and entailed that the above listed individuals may have been denied their right to vote.—Edited by Maravi Express
