Malawi

Through the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) works on supporting credible electoral processes in Malawi.* This is achieved through different interventions and close collaboration with official institutions, civil society organizations and other development partners, such as the National Democratic Institute and United Nations Development Programme. IFES’ current operations focus on providing technical assistance to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) through updating and developing necessary electoral procedures; supporting capacity-building efforts; developing voter information campaigns and long-term outreach strategies; and updating the MEC’s strategic plan. IFES’ activities consider the ongoing pandemic and strive to ensure that different areas of support include key COVID-19 measures and practices for the safe exercise of political and electoral rights.

Following the nullification of the 2019 presidential election and ahead of the 2020 fresh presidential election ordered by the court, IFES worked closely with the MEC on developing a comprehensive social media campaign that provided key electoral information to the general public; supported the MEC in updating the electoral procedures for the presidential election; and contributed to the MEC’s training of master trainers who then trained presiding officers across Malawi on polling procedures. Over the next year and a half, IFES will continue to partner with the MEC on enhancing electoral administration and management in preparation for the next electoral cycle.

Since 2018, IFES has focused on addressing electoral security in Malawi through violence monitoring and incident reporting for more effective conflict mitigation and resolution, in partnership with civil society, multiparty liaison committees and governmental electoral security actors, including the MEC.

*The CEPPS project in Malawi is funded with support from the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UK aid from the British people.