Malawi extends voter registration in three districts

Malawi has extended by a week the first phase of voter registration in three districts following technical glitches, electoral officials said Monday.

"We have extended (the exercise) by a week due to failure of equipment such as digital cameras," Fegus Lipenga, a spokesman for the Malawi Electoral Commission, told AFP.

The exercise -- which began August 18 in the three districts -- is part of a phased drive to register up to seven million voters nationwide.

Lipenga said the problems led to "a lot of congestion" and thousands of people being turned away on Sunday, the original last day of the first phase, in the three districts.

"Technical experts from South Africa are already here to sort out the problem," Lipenga said.

The drive is staggered over six phases ahead of a May 19, 2009 general election. The entire exercise is scheduled to end on November 29 in all the nation's 28 districts.

The upcoming election will be the third multi-party vote since the end of Kamuzu Banda's dictatorial rule 14 years ago.