By Dorica Mtenje
LILONGWE Maravipost
Political analyst Chimwemwe Tsitsi has called on the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to clearly explain the role of newly introduced voting machines ahead of the 2025 elections to ensure transparency and build public confidence.
Speaking in an interview with The Maravi Post on Friday, May 23, Tsitsi said most stakeholders appear misinformed about the machines’ purpose, fueling unnecessary suspicion.
“From what I have gathered, the machines will primarily be used for biometric identification of registered voters through fingerprints,”
“The actual voting and counting of ballots will still be done manually. If any electronic transmission is used, it will merely supplement the manual tally sheets, which will also be displayed at polling centres and constituency tally centres for transparency.”Tsitsi explained.
Tsitsi emphasized that the key to preventing vote rigging lies in effective monitoring by all political parties and independent candidates at every polling and tallying centre.
He also weighed in on the recent challenges faced by the Inspector General (IG) during a high-profile meeting, attributing the tough reception to unresolved incidents of political violence.
“It’s not surprising that the IG faced criticism. Many violent incidents have yet to be thoroughly investigated, and no tangible action has been taken against the culprits. This undermines trust in the process,” he said.
Tsitsi’s remarks underscore the urgent need for MEC to lead a robust public awareness campaign to demystify the technology and reinforce faith in the electoral process.
This comes in the wake of a recent Public Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting, which brought together various stakeholders to discuss concerns surrounding the upcoming electoral process.
