Oxfam Malawi and other stakeholders have weighed in on the hiked nomination fees for the September 16 2025 General Election by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).
Oxfam Malawi Country Director Lingalireni Mihowa
On Tuesday, MEC set the Presidential nomination fee at 10 million Kwacha an increase from 2 million Kwacha. The presidential nomination fee will apply to all presidential candidates regardless of gender and age.
However, youth aged under 35, women and persons with disability will pay 50 percent of nomination fees in Parliamentary and Local Government Elections.
Fees for males in Parliamentary election is 2.5million Kwacha while for Local Government Elections is 200, 000 Kwacha.
And Oxfam Malawi Country Director Lingalireni Mihowa whose organisation is one of the implementers of political empowerment of women, youth and and persons with disability strategy, said the reduced fees for the three groups was one of the requests they made during a meeting with MEC.
“This will ease the economic burden on these groups. Cost of politics in Malawi is very high so any savings that can be is of value. MEC’s gesture is appreciated.
However, both the political analyst Wonderful Mkhutche and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Director of Women Mary Navicha feel the fees are still on thr higher side.
Mkhutche said: ” The fee for those contesting for the presidency is exorbitant. MEC could have thought coukd have thought of something lower than that”.
However, Mkhutche feels that MEC has been considerate on the fees for Parliamentary and Local Government Elections’ candidates “from the general outlook of financial capabilities of those contesting for the said positions”.
On her part, Navicha said even the preferential consideration, the nomination fees for women, youth and persons with disability is still on the higher side.”
Our fear is that with the current economic situation in the country, the fees will prevent women from contesting.”
MEC, according to Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja, reduced the fees for the three groups “as an expression of its commitment to inclusivity”.
