MALAWI ELECTORAL COMMISSION HOSTS LESOTHO IEC OFFICIALS

Officials from Lesotho’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) visited Malawi to meet the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and learn how the Malawi commission successfully conducted the 2025 elections in a peaceful and orderly manner.

The Lesotho IEC members’ tour to Malawi aims to among others learn the integration of ICT elections, operations and election logistics, result management and transmission, distribution of electoral materials as well as monitoring and evaluation M&E.

Speaking, MEC Chairperson, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, said the visit reflects continued collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two electoral management bodies, adding the IEC visit to Malawi also reflects the growing collaboration that exist among electoral bodies within the SADC region.

“Their visit to Malawi is very important because it provides an opportunity to share knowledge on modern technology, election management systems, logistics, and other factors that contributed to the peaceful elections that we had in the 2025 elections”, She said.

In his remarks, the Lesotho IEC Chairperson Rev. Dr. John Maphephe said they decided to tour Malawi because of the strong bilateral ties between the two countries, which are also members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Maphephe said during the visit the 20 member delegation has learnt that the Malawi Electoral commission managed the 2025 elections professionally by adhering to legal frameworks and strategies that promoted peace. He also emphasized that Lesotho is eager to learn from Malawi’s experience as it prepares for its own elections in 2028, with the aim of ensuring they are peaceful and credible.

In April 2015 the MEC also hosted a team from Lesotho that came on a study tour on voter education.