By Jones Gadama
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has underscored the importance of Biometric Voter Verification Devices (BVVD) in ensuring a smooth verification process for all registered voters ahead of the September 16 elections.
MEC Commissioner Richard Chapweteka made this clear during the arrival of 6,450 voter verification devices at the Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.
MEC is expecting to have over 15,000 BVVDs in total for the upcoming elections.
The commission has already received an initial batch of 2,000 devices, with two more batches scheduled to arrive on August 15 and 22.
Commissioner Chapweteka dismissed concerns about the potential for these devices to tamper with the voting process, clarifying that the BVVDs are strictly for verification purposes, not for voting.
“Voters will use ballot papers to vote, not the voter verification devices,” he emphasized.
This development highlights MEC’s commitment to leveraging technology to enhance the integrity and efficiency of Malawi’s electoral process.
By utilizing biometric verification, MEC aims to ensure that only registered voters participate in the elections, thereby bolstering the credibility of the outcome.
