By Audrey Kapalamula:
The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) in the country has said it hopes that the country will have a peaceful campaign and transparent elections next year.
The EU observation team arrived in the country on April 4 2019 and this is the fourth time for the block to deploy members of a mission.
EU EOM Chief Observer, Miroslav Poche, said the elections were an opportunity for Malawian leaders to enjoy the confidence of people.
“We hope for a peaceful campaign where contestants can compete on a level playing field. It is critical that the planning for elections is turned into an operational reality and all of the preparations, including identifying transportation mechanisms, are put in place in a timely manner,” he said.
He said the mission was encouraged that some of the recommendations made during past elections had been addressed, citing an improved voter register.
Poche added that the mission would conduct a comprehensive analysis of the electoral process, including the legal framework, media coverage, counting and transmission of result among other areas.
“There are legal aspects that need to be addressed including misuse of State resources during the political campaign, media-related regulatory issues, among others,” he said
The EU EOM is composed of eight analysts who arrived in Blantyre on April 4, 28 long-term observers and 32 short-term observers.
On election day, the EU EOM will have more than 80 observers across the country, covering both urban and rural areas.
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