By Alfonso Mpima
Project officer for Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation (CHRR) Maxwell Mvula has said the organisations is geared to enhance awareness meetings to help people understand on the importance of participating in voting during the 2025 General Elections by among other things, work with various organisations and the media.
Speaking on Friday after a day-long training to Dedza journalists working with various media houses, Mvula lamented that voter registration has, in recent years declined and there is a need for stakeholders to unite and encourage people to register so as to be able to choose good leaders.
He appealed to communities in Dedza to register in large numbers in order to cast their vote in September next year.
Mvula said: “We have a project called ‘Enhancing the Participation of the General Public’ in 15 districts in the country. This is why we are working in collaboration with various stakeholders including multiparty liaison committee so that we can achieve our objective of empowering the general public on their right to vote.
CHRR is supporting Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in monitoring, reduce incidences of violence and sensatisation campaigns. We therefore ask you the media in Dedza to report stories professionally.”
MEC district elections officer Austin Mapando urged journalist to abide by the electoral laws and utilise social media platforms properly.
Mapando said: “We are satisfied with the way you have written stories about the pilot voter registration in Dedza. A significant number of people registered and this was encouraging to us. The few challenges encountered will definitely be sorted out and we ask you to continue supporting us.”
In his remarks one of the journalists working with Radio Maria Malawi, Jacob Nembo commended CHRR for training journalists from different media houses.
Nembo said: “ We have been reminded of the code of conduct for journalist and a need to balance political stories before publishing them on different platforms.”