By The Forum

Ballot papers for Malawi’s September 16 general election have started arriving, with the first of four consignments delivered on Monday, September 1.

A plane landing at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) offloaded 115 pallets of parliamentary ballot papers for 108 constituencies, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioner Limbikani Kamlongera confirmed.

“The second consignment of parliamentary ballot papers and part of the local government ballot papers will arrive Thursday afternoon. Presidential ballot papers, together with more local government ballot papers, will arrive Friday, while the final batch of local government ballots is expected Saturday,’’ said MEC media and public relations director Sangwani Mwafulirwa.

The $11.6 million contract to print, supply, and deliver the ballot papers was awarded to Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC, a Dubai-based firm that also printed ballot materials for the 2019 general election and the 2020 court-ordered presidential election.

During delivery of the first batch, representatives of all political parties and independent candidates witnessed the process at KIA. The materials were then secured in a warehouse under Malawi Defense Force (MDF) guard until dispatch to constituencies nationwide.

According to Mwafulirwa, the warehouse is locked with serial-numbered seals, and political party representatives are encouraged to record the numbers for verification.

This election features 17 presidential candidates. Voters will also elect 229 members of parliament and 509 local government councillors.