Poll disruption threat

The spectre of election violence looms in Malawi following a threat by traditional leaders and opposition supporters in the country’s volatile north to disrupt the 15 June polls unless the Electoral Commission rescinds a decision not to reopen registration centres in the region, DPA reported on Wednesday.

Wisdom Malongo, chairman of a task force monitoring the electoral process, said traditional leaders threatened violence should their subjects be denied the vote because they did not register. Malongo said in some northern districts, as many as 16,000 eligible voters did not register. This was because voting materials were not available at their centres, most of which only opened for only two days of the statutory 14 days, DPA said.

Malongo added that it was surprising his task force only found the anomalies in the north, where the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) has its base, and the centre where the former ruling Malawi Congress Party is strongest.