By Precious Mtuwa
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The 21st Annual General Conference of Electoral Commission Forum of SADC Countries on Monday commenced in Blantyre, Malawi with an aim of sharing trends in electoral democracy in the region.
The conference runs from September 23 to 27, 2019 .
Vice President Everton Chimulirenji said that the forum will help SADC Countries to share ideas on how they can improve and perform well in their duties.
He said that, Election is very vital in a Democratic country, as it gives people an opportunity to vote for leaders of their choice.
“This meeting is timely, as Countries Malawi, South Africa among others had election and Mozambique, Botswana etc will have theirs in the coming months this year, hence the knowledge being shared will help efficiency in these elections”, Chimulirenji said.
Chimulirenji also noted that there is need for reforms in elections saying there is no democracy that does not need reforms for effectiveness.
President of Electoral Commission Forum of SADC Countries and also Chairperson for Malawi Electoral Commission in Malawi Dr Jane Ansah SC said that, this is an opportunity to share best practices, reinforce strength and address weaknesses.
Dr Ansah said its the time to learn from the shortfalls that exist in the electoral process and have their resolutions in the SADC region.
Executive Committee Chairperson for SADC and also Chairperson of Electoral Commission in Namibia, Notemba Tjipueja said that, they are looking forward to the meeting, as experts will be training them on international best practices among other topics.
“We believe we are performing well in the SADC region and we are known as one of the regions that is quite advanced, as far as delivering of democratic elections.
The annual general conference is being held under the theme enhancing the credibility of election through observation.
The Electoral Commission Forum SADC region consist of 15 countries
