The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has assured the public of the robustness of its voter registration system, designed to detect and eliminate duplicate entries, despite recent concerns following a double registration incident in Lilongwe.
Sangwani Mwafulira, MEC’s Director of Media and Public Relations, emphasized that the system is capable of preventing multiple registrations on the same gadget, whether online or offline.
Mwafulira was responding to public scrutiny after the arrest of Wiseman Enock, who managed to register twice at Msambeta School. Enock’s two voter registration certificates and his national ID were widely shared on social media, sparking debates over the integrity of the process.
“Msambeta School, like some other registration centres, has three teams for voter registration. In Mr. Enock’s case, he managed to register twice because the second registration was done on a different gadget from the first one. If he had attempted to register on the same machine, the system would have flagged the attempt and rejected it,” Mwafulira explained.
While MEC insists the system is effective, critics argue that every registration device should immediately sync to a central server. This would prevent individuals from registering multiple times, even if they use different gadgets or centers.
Civil society organizations have applauded the Malawi Police Service for apprehending Enock, stressing that the law must be upheld to ensure free and fair elections. However, others see the incident as exposing gaps in the system, raising fears of potential manipulation as the country prepares for the 2025 tripartite elections.
The incident has also fueled speculation that certain political factions might be attempting to inflate voter numbers in their favor. MEC has urged the public to remain calm and trust the system, reiterating its commitment to a transparent and credible electoral process.
As the 2025 elections draw nearer, the pressure is mounting on MEC to address these concerns, reinforcing public confidence in the integrity of the voter registration exercise.
