Malawi to kick off massive voter registration drive

BLANTYRE (AFP) — Malawi on Monday begins a three-and-a-half month drive to get up to seven million citizens onto the voters' register ahead of a general election next year.

Authorities are hoping to avoid the chaos caused ahead of the 2004 election when a court-ordered check saw a million names cut from the register.

"We are ready and all is now set for the start on Monday of fresh and phased registration of between five to seven million voters," Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairwoman Anastazia Msosa told AFP.

The MEC, partly funded by donor nations, will spend an estimated 50 million dollars on the May 19 poll, including on a media blitz to entice the largely illiterate rural population to register and vote.

The phased registration will begin in four selected districts Monday, with all 28 voter districts to be completed on November 29.

"This is a fresh registration and all Malawian citizens who are 18 and above and those that on May 19 shall have attained the the age of 19 are eligible to register," said Msosa.

Msosa said the MEC discovered that the voters' lists for the 2004 elections "had a lot of problems and the more we attempted to clean, the more problems arose."

"This time around we want to come up with a credible voters roll which we can build on for the future."

Incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika faces a strong challenge from his predecessor and mentor Bakili Muluzi, chosen as the opposition candidate despite being constitionally barred from contesting.

He served two terms from 1994 when he wrested power from dictator Kamuzu Banda in the country's first democratic poll.

The May 2009 elections will be the third multi-party vote since the end of dictatorial rule 15 years ago.