By Burnett Munthali
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has leveled serious allegations against the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the National Registration Bureau (NRB), accusing them of conspiring to suppress voter registration in areas where the MCP has less support. Mary Navicha, DPP’s Director of Women, claimed that the NRB is intentionally limiting voter registration in the southern and northern regions, which are traditionally non-MCP strongholds, while favoring the central region, where the MCP enjoys significant backing.
“This is a blatant attempt to rig the 2025 elections,” Navicha stated during a press briefing. She pointed out that the central region, an MCP stronghold, has been provided with many more registration centers, creating an imbalance that could impact the fairness of the upcoming elections.
Navicha assured supporters that the DPP is taking these developments seriously and is prepared to take action. “We will not let that happen. We are closely monitoring the situation, and so are the donors,” she added, signaling the party’s intent to push back against any perceived manipulation.
These accusations come amid growing concerns over the impartiality of the NRB, which recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to cooperate on the voter registration process for the 2025 elections. Some opposition figures argue that this collaboration could be exploited to benefit the ruling party.
In a related move, The Concerned Citizens of Malawi, in collaboration with the Economic Freedom Movement, has filed a petition seeking court intervention to stop MEC from using national identity cards in the upcoming general elections. The group, led by Edward Kambanje, expressed frustration over Parliament’s delay in discussing their petition and decided to turn to the courts for a resolution.
“We have given the court 21 days to issue a determination directing MEC to halt the use of national identity cards for the elections,” Kambanje stated, adding that they felt discouraged by the lack of urgency from lawmakers. The petition was formally submitted to Lilongwe District Commissioner Dr. Lawford Palani.
As tensions rise ahead of the 2025 elections, both the MCP and NRB have yet to issue responses to these explosive allegations.
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