Chimulirenji was speaking on Monday when he officially opened the conference, which is expectd to run up to Friday, this week.

“This meeting has just come at the right time when we had had elections in South Africa and Malawi this year. We are also having elections in Mozambique, Botswana, and Namibia later this year. As such this is the appropriate time for all stakeholders in elections to reflect on the past: Where did we perform well? These are the areas that need to be maintained and strengthened. Where did we fail? We need to spend time on this and come up with practical and realistic solutions that suit our region in order to perform better than before, around, serve our nations better and respect the will of our respective voters. I firmly believe that we must continuously strive to improve our election management practices in order for the people to enjoy genuine democracy,” said Chimulirenji.

Chimulirenji added that there was no democracy that was not in need of reforms.

 “Everywhere on the globe, citizens in all nations, are striving in one form or another, and to one degree or the other, bringing in changes and improvements in the way they govern themselves. It would be a colony of the dead where the inhabitants no longer strive for better ways of managing themselves. Therefore, the citizens of SADC deserve well-administered elections at all times,” he added.

Taking her turn, ECF SADC President and Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson, Jane Ansah said the conference serves as a platform whereby as Electoral Management Bodies share knowledge and skills so as to improve the delivery of elections in their respective jurisdictions.

“It is also a platform where we critique each other, pointing out the shortcomings on a number of electoral thematic areas, with a view to improve election management in our respective countries. By doing this, we are not undermining ourselves but we are helping each other sail towards the ideal whereby we can continue delivering credible elections in our countries,” said Ansah.

She added that the SADC region was enjoying stability and peace, which she said the region electoral management bodies share a portion of credit

“Electoral Management Bodies have contributed to the sustenance of peace in the region. You will agree with me that no matter how well governed a country might be, it is not a democracy if those that are governing are not placed in power by the will of the people. Elections are, therefore, the fundamental bedrock of any democracy.

MEC, is hosting the Conference for the second time, the first time having been in the year 2002.

Alongside the conference, the ECF SADC will also host a one-day international seminar on “Enhancing the Credibility of Elections Through Observation”.

The ECF SADC is a network of electoral management bodies (EMBs) from 16 SADC countries; Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Malawi currently holds the Presidency for the Forum.