Payment and collection of nomination papers for September 16 Tripartite Elections begins on June 10

* Candidates will be required to pay the non-refundable nomination fees, through a dedicated bank account, before collecting nomination forms at respective district council offices for MPs and Councillors.

* Nomination forms for Presidential candidates will be collected from the Malawi Electoral Commission head office

By Duncan Mlanjira

In the electoral calendar covering events up to September 16 General Elections, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) highlights for the interest of aspiring candidates that payment and collection of nomination papers for all the three elections begins on June 10.

MEC also highlights that results counting of votes for all three elections will start on September 16 immediately after close of the polls.

In the nomination process — in accordance with Section 29(2)(a) and (b) and Section 40(2)(a) and (b) of the Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government Elections Act, 2023, MEC determined the nomination fees six months before the date of candidate nomination.

Thus on November 11, 2024, MEC determined the nomination fees for contesting candidates as President (K10 million); Member of Parliament (K2.5 million for male candidates and K1.25 million for females); K1.25 million for persons with disabilities); K1.25 million for youths (under 35 years).

Councillor at K200,000 for male candidates; K100,000 for females; K100,000 for persons with disabilities; and K100,000 for youths (under 35 years).

Under Sections 29(1) and 40(1) of the Act, candidates will be required to pay the non-refundable nomination fees, through a dedicated bank account, before collecting nomination forms on June 10, 2025 at respective district council offices for MPs and Councillors.

Nomination forms for Presidential candidates will be collected from the MEC head office and in cases where political parties would wish to pay for and collect nomination forms on behalf of their candidates, the parties will need to make special arrangements through MEC’s Chief Elections Officer.

The same will also apply if other organisations would wish to pay nomination fees for some candidates.

MEC plans to receive Local Government elections nomination papers from June 20-22 at respective constituency tally centres; Parliamentary’s from and Presidential from July 1-5.

Meanwhile, the second phase of voters register inspection exercise started today till Friday (May 21-23) at respective voter registration centres in Rumphi, Nkhata Bay, Likoma, Kasungu, Kasungu Municipality, Dowa, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Zomba and Zomba City, Blantyre and Blantyre City, Thyolo and Luchenza Municipality.

MEC is assuring that registered voters who lost or had their voter registration certificates damaged, will be replaced free of charge at the voters register inspection centres, adding that the replacements is a free exercise and need not be accompanied by a police report.

The voter registration certificate will be printed immediately upon a registered voter presenting themselves for verification and every registered voter is urged to take their voter registration certificate to the centre where they registered or transferred to.

But for those voters that are able, they can simply inspect their details by dialing *2509# on TNM or Airtel lines.