KEY TO ELECTION PROCESS—Supporters of political partiesBy Patience Lunda & Rebecca Chimjeka:
The National Planning Commission (NPC) has disclosed that it has certified 15 manifestos for 13 political parties and two independent presidential candidates ahead of the September 16 General Elections.
This is in line with the Political Parties Amendment Act of 2022 which mandates NPC to review manifestos for political parties to ensure that they are aligned with the Malawi 2063 vision.
The amended Section 12 (A) of the Act gives powers to the Registrar of Political Parties not to register any political party “unless its manifesto is aligned to the national development agenda applicable at the time of registration”.
The clause further extends to registered political parties which fail to align their manifestos to the Malawi 2063 that they will not be allowed to contest.
When asked for the list of the certified political parties NPC spokesperson, Thom Khanje, said it is up to the parties and candidates to announce their status, not the NPC.
Khanje encouraged political parties and people intending to contest as independent presidential candidates to ensure that they submit their manifestos for certification before the commencement of the official campaign period on July 14, 2025.
Voter registration“We are unable to mention names of parties that have been certified and those that have not but since the certification process is open and extends to entities intending to register as political parties and the amendment of a manifesto that is already certified, it would be speculative to suggest the number of parties that are yet to submit,” he said.
Further, Khanje said NPC is currently providing technical support to three political parties and one presidential candidate towards getting their manifestos validated.
Earlier, NPC gave the political parties up to January 22, 2025 to submit their manifestos for review and certification ahead of receipt of nomination papers for presidential candidates by the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) ahead of the September 16 General Elections.
Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) Executive Director, Bonface Chibwana said the submission of the manifestos to NPC is crucial because political parties need to show how they would contribute to national development.
“All institutions need to make their aspirations in tandem to the MW 2063 and political parties are not an exception in this regard and as you know, we are a democratic country whereby we follow a political system; which is why they need the parties and candidates to align themselves,” he said.
