By Chisomo Phiri

Following growing allegations of massive irregularities,Malawi Electoral Commission(MEC) has on Friday changed its tone and suspended voter registration exercise for the by-elections in Mwasa Ward in Mangochi district scheduled for September 26, 2023.

Speaking in an interview with this publication MEC Commissioner, Emmanuel Fabiano said they had no choice but to suspend the exercise.

Said Fabiano :”We will go back and look into this issue but as of now we have suspended the voter registration.”

The situation follows a Multiparty Liason meeting held on Friday that saw six political parties (DPP, MCP, DPP, UTM, Aford and Umodzi) demanding the cancellation of the elections.

United Democratic Front(UDF) District Governor Muhammad Jannah has told local media that the parties agreed to suspend the registration exercise as the National Registration Bureau(NRB) was allegedly registering under-aged children.

“We also noted that some people from other wards were coming at the registration centre to register,” said Jannah.

On Thursday, a representative of the opposition parties’ candidates William Chimoyo alleged the voter registration process was biased towards people he said were being sponsored by the Malawi Congress Party.

“We have complained to MEC that underaged children and people outside this ward are being allowed to register, which will give unfair advantage to those sponsoring this, but MEC is not doing anything,” Chimoyo said.

It was alleged that the MCP candidate, Stewart Mwase, was mobilising underage children to register.