Customised BRIDGE workshop for Malawi Electoral Commission staff on Introduction to Election Administration, Legal Framework and Reform and Voter Registration

 By Deverson Makwete, Vitumbiko Nyirongo and Stella Mwachande

BRIDGE TRAINING FOR MALAWI ELECTORAL COMMISSION STAFF ON INTRODUCTION TO ELECTORAL ADMINISTRATION, LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND REFORM, AND VOTER REGISTRATION

In readiness for the conduct of the General Elections scheduled for September 2025, the Malawi Electoral Commission organized Bridge training for its staff in all of its offices countrywide. For the northern region staff, the training took place at the Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu from 27^th to 29^th May 2024.

The BRIDGE training aimed to sensitize members of staff on the changed laws as well as inducting the newly recruited members of staff who formed the bulk of the participants to the training, hence the customization of the training.

The following were the modules covered during the training:

1.    Electoral Administration

2.    Legal Framework and Reform

3.    Voter Registration

The training was presided over by the Deputy Chief Elections Officer responsible for Finance and Administration, Mr. Andy Kamkwalala. In his remarks, the Deputy CEO urged the participants to use the knowledge gained to effectively perform their duties.

Facilitators at the training included the following:

1.    Deverson Makwete                Workshop facilitator and Lead facilitator

2.    Vitumbiko Nyirongo             Ttf Complete

3.    Stella Mwachande                 Ttf Complete

Different facilitation methods were used, and they include brainstorming, group discussions, case studies, and role plays.

Participants evaluated the training daily by filling out evaluation forms.

Day 1 under Elections Administration, the following were covered:

·      Elections in a global Context-How do elections link to democratic governance-What is democracy-What is an election- Why have elections

·      Code of conduct for EMBs

·      Impropriety/Corruption

·      Introduction to electoral systems

·      Electoral Management Bodies-Functions of EMBs-Types of EMBs

·      Introduction to planning- the electoral cycle

·      Stakeholders in the electoral process

·      Understanding Institutional Excellence

Day 2 under Legal Framework and Reform, the following were covered:

·      The nature and purpose of law-What is law?-What it means legal /illegal?-Who can make law?-Where is law found?-Possible sources of law-Hierarchy of laws

·      Purpose of a legal framework for electoral processes

·      The elements of a legal framework for the electoral process?

·      Guiding principles of EMBs codes of conduct

·      Impact of law reform

·      Impact of law reforms on electoral operations

·      Potential roles of EMBs in electoral law reform

Day 3 under Voter Registration, the following were covered:

·      Voter registration exercise-What is voter registration? -Why have voter registration?

·      Boundary demarcation and voter registration

·      Franchise criteria

·      Types of registers-Categories of voter registers

·      Legal framework and procedures for voter registration in Malawi

·      Quality assurance in the voter registration process

·      Elements of a good voter register

·      Getting to the final product-3 steps to a FVL

·      Operational framework for voter registration

The training ended on 29^th May 2024 and certificates of completion were presented to the participants.