The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has indicated a need for approximately $187 million, equivalent to K213 billion, to fund the 2025 tripartite general elections. MEC Chairperson, Justice Chifundo Kachale, disclosed this during a meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Commission, Statutory Corporations, and State Enterprises, along with the National Registration Bureau (NRB).
Justice Kachale explained that this funding is earmarked for the acquisition of equipment required for the voter registration exercise. He further stressed that only individuals possessing National Identity Cards will be eligible to register for the 2025 general elections.
Mphatso Sambo, the Principal Secretary for the National Registration Bureau in the Ministry of Homeland Security, mentioned that the bureau has already procured additional printers to increase card production.
Yeremiya Chihana, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Corporations, and State Enterprises, urged the government to ensure the availability of foreign exchange (forex) to facilitate MEC’s procurement of necessary resources from other countries.
