The Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI) is calling on politicians to mobilize their supporters to register to vote, citing low turnout in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
Praise Mwenegamba, IPI’s Programme Officer, blames broken campaign promises for the apathy.
“Politicians have consistently failed to deliver on promises like loans and job creation, eroding public trust,” said Mwenegamba.
Mwenegamba emphasizes that politicians should utilize the same energy used for campaign rallies to encourage registration.
“Politics is a numbers game; parties must encourage registration to win. We have seen them ferrying people in lorries to attend campaign rallies, why not use the same energy to woo them to register?”
IPI has also expressed concerns over the unavailability of required materials in the early stages of the voter registration phase, with National Registration Bureau (NRB) centers lacking full national ID registration kits.
This has frustrated potential voters and hindered the registration process.
To address the issue, the IPI is conducting voter mobilization exercises in various townships in Blantyre, with plans to expand to other districts.
Mwenegamba urges all stakeholders, including politicians, religious groups and local leaders, to take a leading role in mobilizing people to register ahead of next year’s general elections.
