Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is set to release nomination fees for presidential, parliamentary and ward counsellor seats next month.
MEC Chairperson, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, revealed this during a meeting with Oxfam aimed at encouraging women, young people, and persons with disabilities to run for various positions in the general elections slated for September next year.
Mtalimanja said the commission will follow the law, ensuring that women pay only half the fees that men pay for nomination.
Oxfam’s Country Director, Lingalireni Mihowa, said women and young people are eager to contest as independent candidates.
According to Mihowa, contestants often face financial demands from voters, a challenge particularly felt by those running under political parties.
“Women also fail to contest due high nomination fees, we would have preferred the fees for women and young people to be reduced by up to 70 percent,” Mihowa said.
