President of the Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP)Bantu Saunders Jumah, has urged the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to reconsider the electoral law requiring national Identity Cards for voting in the 2025 elections.
Jumah has expressed concerns that this law may disenfranchise many Malawians, potentially leading to unfair election outcomes.
Jumah cites challenges with the national registration process, including slow registration rates and technical issues, which may prevent many citizens from exercising their right to vote.
He proposes delaying the implementation of the ID card requirement until the 2029 elections, citing a lack of trust in the current MEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.
Jumah
Jumah also calls for transparency and fairness in the electoral process, suggesting that the MEC provide a “Voter Registration Database” to all political parties to ensure trust and credibility.
He emphasizes the importance of free, fair, and transparent elections, and urged the MEC to take necessary steps to achieve this goal.
Additionally, Jumah addresses concerns about political violence and intimidation, criticizing President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera for not adequately addressing these issues.
He has urged the President to take a stronger stance against violence and ensure a safe campaign environment for all political parties.
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda has described the 5-day 9th African Population Conference being held at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) Lilongwe as a powerful testimony on Africa’s resort, pointing that it will result into development of the implementation plan to achieve the African Union (AU) conference target which was set 30 years ago as well as spearhead the first 10 years of implementation of the AU agenda 2063.
He was speaking this on Monday during the opening of the conference.
According to Chithyola Banda, the large gathering at the conference on the first day,speaks to Africa’s determination to transform the continent into a global player, fostering equitable and a people centric, sustainable economic development by leveraging Africa’s demographic dividend.
Simplex Chithyola
He said the conference provides a platform for experts and law makers to share knowledge, experiences and best practices in population management in pursuit of achieving Africa’s sustainable development.
The minister added despite so many challenges, people in Africa are now uniting and collaborating more in strengthening partnerships in so many areas which will accelerate Africa’s economic growth like health and education, focusing on population development, especially the youth.
“The Conference will accord Malawi an opportunity to tell her story generously and share her experiences on the population.” Chithyola said.
On his part, Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson said the conference’s theme, “Road to 2030: Leveraging Africa’s Human Capital to Achieve Transformation in a World of Uncertainty” highlights Iceland’s relationship with Malawi as evidenced by developments being carried out in Malawi by the Government of Iceland.
In her remarks, Regional Director for the United Nations Population Fund in Eastern and Southern Africa, Lydia Zigomo commended Malawi Government for hosting the conference.
President Dr.Lazarus Chakwera says Africa must put its population to work and animate it to the fact that it is in a long season of sacrificial nation-building and a lean season of disciplined sowing, not a short-sighted and election obsessed season of harvesting, plundering and eating like there is no tomorrow.
Chakwera said this on Monday at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe during the official opening of the 9th African Population Conference.
The Malawi president said African countries need platforms for collaboration, where the continent’s population advantage is married to the human capital disadvantages of other continents to create a better world across the globe.
President Chakwera
“I doubt that there is anyone in this room who does not know that other continents in the world are struggling to sustain their labour markets demands because they do not have enough young people to work in various industries that are critical to their economies, including agriculture and food security.
“If only we can remove our afro-pessimistic lenses and see that the youthful and enterprising population of Africa is a resource we must harness and equip to solve the sustainability problems that the ageing populations of other nations are grappling with,” said Chakwera.
He said Africa needs to celebrate and leverage it’s demographic dividend by nurturing, empowering and deploying it’s people.
The President further said the perspective by other continents that African poverty is exacerbated by its overpopulation is wrong, saying this narrative is afro-pessimism as Africa has enough resources to sustain its people.
Chakwera therefore, urged the participants at the conference to take the conference as a solution-oriented event, not a competition on who can complain about Africa the loudest.
“This is a new Malawi for a new Africa, and we are too busy focusing on finding solutions to waste any time on meetings that add no value to the creation of Africa we want,” he added.
In his remarks, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda said the conference is set for African countries to share knowledge, experiences and best practices in population management, in pursuit of Africa’s sustainable development ambitions.
Chithyola Banda said for so long , Arica has been taken as a stunted and stagnant continent with little hope of lifting her people out of poverty and that Africa has received little attention to her quest for development and technical assistance.
“But the world now knows that Africa is on the move and that it has the largest size of arable land for agriculture production to feed the world; Africa has the largest deposit of mineral wealth and that it is enjoying a demographic dividend for economic productivity,” Chithyola Banda said.
He added:”This conference demonstrates that as Africans, we are collaborating more and strengthening partnerships in areas which will accelerate African economic growth, such as health and education, focusing on population development, especially on the youth,” he said.
The five-day conference, which has attracted over 600 delegates, is being held under the theme “Road to 2030: leveraging Africa’s human capital to achieve transformation in a world of uncertainty”.
President Dr.Lazarus Chakwera has described the coming of Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktssoni to Malawi as a blessing , saying the country stands to benefit from the visit.
Chakwera made the remarks on Monday in Lilongwe during a state banquet dinner which was held at Kamuzu Palace, in honour of the visiting Prime Minister.
Chakwera said Iceland’s regard for closer collaboration with Malawi through bilateral development support programs and projects jointly implemented by the two nations is of paramount importance.
Bjarni Benediktsson and President Chakwera
Said Chakwera:“Iceland is one country in the developed world whose journey from poverty to prosperity is a source of inspiration and worthy for Malawi’s emulation.”
The Malawi leader further hailed the relationship and partnership that exists between Malawi and the Iceland government, noting that the relationship is crucial in fostering various developmental projects in the country.
In his address, Benediktssoni said his government is geared to expand district approach programs by continuing to initiate various projects in other districts of the country, as one way of strengthening relations between Malawi and Iceland.
He also said his government is looking forward in exploring new avenues to cooperate with the Malawi Government.
The event brought together prominent dignitaries, among them, Vice President Saulos Chilima , Cabinet Ministers, traditional leaders and other government officials from Malawi and the Government of Iceland.
On Sunday May 19,2024,United Democratic Front (UDF) former Vice President for Eastern Region Hasheem Banda joined the United Transformation Movement (UTM).
Banda joined UTM together with other 50 UDF members and 17 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members.
UTM Secretary General, Patricia Kaliati, welcomed the new members during a party meeting held at Chinamwali Ground in Zomba.
In her speech, Kaliati said the UTM will continue receiving members from other parties to ensure that all interested members are given a chance in the party.
Banda being welcomed in UTM
She said the party is set to form the next government in the 2025 general elections and called on young people above 18 to apply for National Identification and get registered once voter registration starts.
“We will distribute campaign materials (wrappers and t-shirts) to those that will get registered for the general elections,” Kaliati said .
Banda announced his resignation from the UDF recently through a presser but declined to say the party he intended to join.
He said this was his memorable time in his political career having joined the UTM.
“This is my greatest moment in my political career. I have joined the UTM,” he said, adding that there are many UDF supporters that have followed him to UTM.
Banda, who contested for the Zomba Central parliamentary seat in 2019 but lost to DPP’s Bester Awali, expressed his wish to contest in the 2025 parliamentary race on a UTM ticket.
