The UK has contributed £2m (about MWK 2.5 billion) towards the Malawi Electoral Support Project to support the Malawi Electoral Commission to deliver the 2025 elections in accordance with

the high standards set by legislative reforms following the previous elections.

Speaking during the signing ceremony for the Contribution Arrangement with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Lilongwe, British High Commissioner to Malawi Fiona Ritchie said the contribution was an important step in the UK’s long-standing partnership with Malawi on strengthening democratic accountability.

Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of any democracy and are vital in ensuring governments deliver effective services to their citizens, that respond to their needs. We are proud to have provided technical and financial support to the administration of previous elections in Malawi. This support has built on the country’s own strong commitment to free and fair elections - evidenced in the strong financial commitment the Government of Malawi has made towards the delivery of elections and resourcing of oversight bodies, as well as parliament’s role in passing landmark electoral reforms after the 2020 polls,” said Ritchie.

The UK envoy encouraged the Government of Malawi to continue taking all necessary measures to ensure election preparedness, including addressing the large backlog in National ID cards.

The UK is proud to have been at the forefront of supporting the Government of Malawi to develop and roll out the National ID card system. We saw the significant benefits this delivered during the administration of the 2019/2020 elections. We welcome the recent announcement that the expiry date for the national ID cards will be suspended until 1st January 2026, in line with the commitment made by President Chakwera in his State of the Nation Address, and look forward to continued government commitment to printing ID cards for new eligible voters”, Ritchie added.

UNDP Resident Representative Shigeki Komatsubara said:

We highly esteem the FCDO for their unwavering dedication to fostering accountable representative democracy. Their resolute support will play a pivotal role in advancing informed public engagement and inclusivity for marginalized groups such as women, youth, and People Living with Disabilities.

This project will empower us to collaborate with CSOs having a national presence, enabling them to deliver essential civic and voter education. Our collective efforts will ignite increased public participation and ensure responsible oversight of elections by the Malawi Electoral Commission. Together, we are working towards a more vibrant and equitable democratic process.”

The MESP project has three components namely:

-improving capacity of the Malawi Electoral Commission, Malawi Police Service, and civil society to engage in the electoral process

-support to inclusion of women, youths and Persons living With Disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process and

-reduced tensions and disputes regarding the electoral process through the strengthening of existing mechanisms contributing to conflict prevention and mitigation.

Elections Basket Fund is a pool of resources from UK and other Development Partners such as USAID, the European Union, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Republic of Ireland. Photo by Samymag, Wikimedia commons.