MALAWI ELECTORAL COMMISSION REPORT ON TRIPARTITE ELECTIONS MAY 2014 Malawi Electoral Commission Chisankho House Private Bag 113 Blantyre MEC 2014 Tripartite Elections Report Page 1 LETTER OF SUBMISSION Malawi Electoral Commission, Chisankho House, Private Bag 113, Blantyre, MALAWI. 31st December, 2014. His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi, Kamuzu Palace, Lilongwe. Your Excellency, The Malawi Electoral Commission is appointed under Section 4 of the Electoral Commission Act. It is mandated under Section 76 of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi and the Electoral Commission Act No. 11 of 1998 to exercise such functions in relation to elections. The duties of the Commission include: a) To determine the number of constituencies for purposes of elections; b) To undertake or supervise the demarcation of boundaries of constituencies; c) To organize and direct the registration of voters; d) To devise and establish voters registers and ballot papers; e) To print, distribute and take charge of ballot papers and voters registers; f) To approve and procure ballot boxes; g) To establish and operate polling stations; and h) To establish security conditions necessary for the conduct of every election in accordance with any written law governing elections. Your Excellency, Local Government, Parliamentary and Presidential elections to elect Councillors, Members of the National Assembly and a State President were conducted on 20th May 2014 in accordance with the Constitution of Malawi, Electoral Commission Act No 11 of 1998, Parliamentary and Presidential Act No 13 of 1993 and the Local Government Elections Act as amended. We, the Commissioners, therefore, humbly submit to Your Excellency, the Report on the Tripartite Elections prepared by the Commission in compliance with Article 6 of the Electoral Commission Act. We are, Your Excellency, Page 2 MEC 2014 Tripartite Elections Report ……………………………………….. ............................................................ Justice Maxon Mbendera, SC. Willie Kalonga CHAIRMAN Chief Elections Officer ....................................... .......................................... ................................................. Rev. Maxwell Mezuwa Stanley Billiat Gloria Angella Chingota Banda Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner ………………………….. …………………………...... …………………………….......... Rev. Ambassador Rev. Allan Moyomsana Elvey Kalonga-Mtafu Emmanuel Chinkwita- Chiphiko Commissioner Phiri Commissioner Commissioner …………………………................. ......................................... ................................................. Archbishop Emeritus Dr Wellington Mkwepu Nancy Gladys Tembo Dr. Bernard Amos Malango Nakanga Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner MEC 2014 Tripartite Elections Report Page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS..........................................................................................................................................10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................................................12 FOREWORD............................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................15 1.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 15 1.2 ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES................................................................................................... 15 1.3 THE CONSTITUENCY RETURNING OFFICER (CRO).................................................................... 17 1.4 POLITICAL PARTIES....................................................................................................................... 17 1.5 VOTER POPULATION.................................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION..............................................................................19 2.1 MANDATE AND CORE VALUES...................................................................................................... 19 2.2 ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS............................................................................................... 20 2.3 APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONERS......................................................................................... 21 2.4 THE SECRETARIAT............................................................................................................................ 23 2.5 ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION COMMITTEES......................................................................... 23 2.5.1 ELECTORAL SERVICES COMMITTEE ............................................................................................ 24 2.5.2 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE ......................................................................... 24 2.5.3 AUDIT COMMITTEE ...................................................................................................................... 24 2.5.4 MEDIA CIVIC AND VOTER EDUCATION COMMITTEE ............................................................... 24 2.6 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE............................................................................................................... 25 2.7 ELECTORAL COMMISSION OFFICES............................................................................................ 25 CHAPTER 3 PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION......................................................................27 3.1 REVIEW OF ELECTORAL LAWS .........................................................................................................27 3.2 STRATEGIC PLANNING. ...................................................................................................................27 3.4 THE BUDGET ......................................................................................................................................28 3.5 CHALLENGES IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION.................................................................30 CHAPTER 4 DEMARCATION OF WARDS AND CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES........................31 4.1 LEGAL PROVISIONS ............ ................................................................................................... 31 4.2 DEMARCATION COMMITTEES ............................................................................................... 32 4.3 FIELD WORK........................................................................................................................ ..........32 Page 4 MEC 2014 Tripartite Elections Report 4.4 PUBLIC HEARINGS .........................................................................................................................32 4.5 COMMISSION DETERMINATIONS ..................................................................................................33 4.5 CHALLENGES .................................................................................................................................34 4.6 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................34 CHAPTER 5 REGISTRATION OF VOTERS..............................................................................................35 5.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................35 5.2 PLANNING FOR REGISTRATION...................................................................................................35 5.3 RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING OF VOTER REGISTRATION STAFF................................................35 5.4 REGISTRATION OPERATION.........................................................................................................36 5.5 MONITORING AND OBSERVATION OF THE REGISTRATION EXERCISE ......................................37 5.6 TRANSPORT LOGISTICS FOR THE REGISTRATION EXERCISE........................................................37 5.7 PROCESSING OF THE REGISTRATION FORMS...............................................................................37 5.8 PRINTING AND INSPECTION OF THE PRELIMINARY VOTERS’ REGISTER......................................38 5.9 PRINTING OF THE FINAL VOTERS REGISTER..................................................................................38 5.10 CHALLENGES DURING REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION OF THE VOTERS’ REGISTER...............39 5.11 CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................39 CHAPTER 6 NOMINATION ...................................................................................................................40 6.1 NOMINATION PROCESS..............................................................................................................40 6.2 QUALIFICATIONS FOR NOMINATION..........................................................................................41 6.3 SUBMISSION OF NOMINATIONS..................................................................................................42 6.4 ANALYSIS OF NOMINATION PAPERS AND APPROVAL OF CANDIDATES..................................43 6.5 CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................48