Malawi Opens Voter Transfer Window Ahead of September Elections
The transfers come ahead of the national elections set for Sept. 16, 2025. Voters must complete their transfers at the registration centre where they intend to cast their ballots.
LILONGWE, Malawi— The Malawi Electoral Commission announced Sunday it will allow registered voters to transfer their voting locations in a phased process starting Feb. 25, ahead of the September national elections, writes Winston Mwale.
The three-phase transfer period will run until March 15, with different regions processing transfers on specific dates, according to Sangwani Mwafulirwa, the commission's director of media and public relations.
"There will be NO transfers on the polling day or any other period after this exercise," Mwafulirwa said in a public statement.
The commission emphasized that voters must complete transfers in person using fingerprint verification.
The first phase begins Feb. 25 and includes major areas like Mzuzu City and Chitipa, while the final phase ending March 15 will cover populous regions including Lilongwe City and Mangochi District.
Voters who have lost their identification documents can still process transfers, but new voter registration and replacement of lost certificates will not be available during this period.
The commission will address lost voter certificates during a separate voter register inspection exercise scheduled for March and April 2025.
The transfers come ahead of the national elections set for Sept. 16, 2025. Voters must complete their transfers at the registration centre where they intend to cast their ballots.