Malawi Youth Group Urges Understanding of New Electoral Laws
Fikani Nyirenda, representing the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), acknowledged the role of youth in political violence.
MZIMBA, Malawi— Youth and Society (YAS) is calling on young people and civil society organizations to familiarize themselves with recent changes to Malawi's electoral laws, writes Victoria Yande.
The appeal came during a meeting Wednesday in Mzimba District, where YAS and the Mzimba Youth Organization gathered youths, CSOs, and political party representatives as part of the UNDP-supported "Democracy in Young Hands" project.
YAS Coordinator Mwandida Theu emphasized the importance of understanding the reforms.
"We advocate for young people, political parties and CSOs on the Malawi electoral reforms to make sure that they understand the structures of the act and also sensitize communities in their constituencies," Theu said.
Theu highlighted the low 1% participation rate of youth in politics, noting that many are exploited by political leaders to incite violence rather than benefit from genuine involvement.
Fikani Nyirenda, representing the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), acknowledged the role of youth in political violence.
"With the amended reforms, we hope this will help them make right decisions," Nyirenda said.
The project aims to increase youth engagement in political processes and reduce their vulnerability to manipulation by educating them about their rights and responsibilities under the new electoral laws.