Mec laments voter apathy

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) yesterday lamented continued low voter turnout during by-elections and asked stakeholders to initiate conversations to find the way forward to improve citizens’ participation in democracy. MEC chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja, speaking yesterday when she announced official results from the March 17 2026 by-elections at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, said there was subdued voter participation in both parliamentary and local government by-elections. “This is the conversation that we, the commission, need to have with stakeholders as we prepare for the next by-elections,” she said.

Mtalimanja, a judge of the High Court of Malawi, said while rains may have contributed to the low turn-out, there were still broader issues regarding voter participation in by-elections that require attention. In parliamentary elections, voter turnout varied with Rumphi Central Constituency recording the highest at 56.07 percent followed by Dedza Mtakataka with 52.89 percent. Nkhotakota Liwaladzi had 43.52 percent turnout and Blantyre West was the lowest at 38.89 percent.

The low voter turnout trend was more pronounced in local government elections, where turnout dipped as low as 17.61 percent in some of the nine wards. During the September 16 2025 General Election, voter turnout was 76.4 percent. Mtalimanja also decried low participation of women as candidates, describing the situation as worrying.

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In local government by-elections, four wards; namely, Msitu in Mchinji South Constituency, Lilongwe Chilobwe in Lilongwe Chilobwe Constituency, Chanda in Zomba Chikomwe Constituency and Muonekera in Thyolo Goliati Constituency had no female candidates at all. On the other hand, only one woman, Thokozire Lunji, won a parliamentary seat while no female candidate secured victory in the local government by-elections. NGO-Gender Coalition chairperson Maggie Kathewera-Banda said many women lacked resources to compete and may have been discouraged by poor outcomes in previous elections.

On his part, Nyika Institute director Moses Mkandawire said by-elections often fail to excite voters, stressing the need for intensified civic education and political party mobilisation. There were 83 candidates in the by-elections comprising 61 men and 22 women, reflecting the gender imbalance that continues to characterise Malawi’s political landscape. In terms of voter knowledge of the processes, Mtalimanja said MEC noted an improvement in ballot validity, with a reduction in void votes across all polling areas.

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