Town Hall Meeting Blantyre
The Institute of Policy Interaction Malawi held a Town Hall meeting on 11th September 2024 at HHI Hall in Blantyre. At the event, the Director Professor Nandini Patel called all stakeholders to ensure that they take part in all electoral processes as their democratic right. “Our goal is to help people understand the changes in the Constitution, the Electoral Commission Act, and how the harmonized laws impact the electoral process. These adjustments will shape how elections would be conducted and how citizens could engage with the system, thereby avoiding voter apathy,” she said. The interactive meeting attracted various stakeholders, including representatives from the Malawi Police Service, National Registration Bureau, the Malawi Electoral Commission, political parties and the youth. The activity was as part of the ongoing Malawi Electoral Support Project (MESP) with the funding from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Stakeolder engagement in Thyolo,Phalombe and Mwanza districts
The Institute for Policy
Interaction is implementing a Malawi Electoral Support
Project (MESP) with the funding from United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP). The " Enhancing the Civic
Participation for Malawi 2025 Tripartite Elections Project" is a
comprehensive initiative aimed at empowering citizens of Malawi to actively
engage in the electoral process, fostering informed democratic participation
and ensuring a peaceful, fair, and credible electoral environment.
Engagement with
religious institution, education institutions, youth clubs, community
gatherings and women meetings on the Electoral
Management Process.
Institute
for Policy Interaction (IPI) conducted engagement meetings
with religious institution, education institution,
youth clubs, community gatherings and women meetings on the Electoral Management Process in Thyolo, Phalombe and
Mwanza districts. Project Coordinator for the project Mr Praise Gospel Kalyoto
Mwenegamba explained that
The engagement meeting
was aimed at providing platform for stakeholders to engage in a discussion and
brainstorm about electoral process and changes in electoral
laws, including the Constitution, Electoral Commission Act, and harmonized
electoral Acts. The involved
stakeholders namely; religious institution, education institution, youth clubs,
community gatherings and women platforms such Churches, Mosques, Markets, Youth
Club meetings, Women groups, Market meetings and Community meetings to engage
their followers in the electoral process and changes in electoral laws,
including the Constitution, Electoral Commission Act, and harmonized electoral
Acts. The groupings have a very large constituency and have platforms where
they meet and talk to people on daily, weekly and monthly basis. Therefore,
engaging them it was very vital to help disseminate electoral
management process information to potential voters.
Thyolo district
elections officer Dan Chizuzu Majamanda, challenged the stakeholders to
popularise the Electoral Management Process to make sure that citizens are
knowledgeable about their rights, responsibilities, and the importance of voter
registration and voting procedures and also information about the changes in electoral laws, including the
Constitution, Electoral Commission Act, and harmonized electoral Acts, to
potential voters.
The duo said this today in the
district during the meeting with stakeholders on the " Enhancing the Civic
Participation for Malawi 2025 General Elections Project with the funding from
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
