The Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mary Kachale has commended the importance of conducting refresher trainings for election observers to ensure credible electoral processes.
Her remarks came as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) held a refresher training for the observers at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe ahead of Malawi’s General Elections scheduled for 16th September.
Kachale emphasized that the government has a duty to support such initiatives, especially in the digital era where misinformation poses significant challenges, urging observers to carry out their work with integrity.
On his part, Leonard Sesa who is a member of the SADC Electoral Advisory Council from Botswana, underscored the importance of member states’ active participation in election observation.
He noted that over 100 observers have already been trained, with expectations that their efforts will contribute to free, fair, and credible elections.
Sesa further disclosed that the training covers critical areas such as the structure of SADC Electoral Observation Missions, Malawi’s current political and security context, as well as constitutional and electoral frameworks guiding the polls.
He stressed that such efforts enable voters to make informed choices and cast their votes peacefully.
The four-day training brought together representatives from 10 SADC member states and is being facilitated by the SADC Secretariat in collaboration with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).
