Africa-Press – Malawi. The Concerned Citizens of Malawi, a civic group pushing for democracy and accountability, has announced a peaceful protest for June 11, 2025 in Lilongwe—and they’re not mincing words. The group accuses the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) of steering the country toward a rigged and chaotic election. Their main worry? MEC’s decision to use Electronic Management Devices (EMDs) from Smartmatic, a foreign tech firm linked to controversial elections in other countries.
“This country is not ready for high-tech voting gadgets,” said group leader and human rights activist Edward Kambanje. “Most Malawians are not digitally literate, rural areas lack electricity, and yet MEC wants to drag us into a digital mess that could be easily manipulated.”
Worse still, the group is furious that MEC has refused to allow an independent audit of the voters’ roll—a move critics say raises red flags about transparency.
“You can’t talk about credible elections if you can’t even allow outsiders to verify the voter register,” said Kambanje. “What are they hiding?”
The group had originally planned to march on June 5, notifying the Lilongwe District Commissioner (DC) and copying in the Malawi Human Rights Commission and Police in accordance with Section 38 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly.
But in a sudden twist, the DC’s office unilaterally shifted the protest to June 11, and changed the route without clear justification—an action the group says is suspicious.
“This is an act of suppression,” said Kambanje. “The authorities are clearly uncomfortable with the truth we want to speak. But we will not be silenced.”
Despite the hurdles, the Concerned Citizens of Malawi are standing firm. They say the battle for free and fair elections is too important to back down from.
“We will march. Peacefully. Legally. And loudly,” said Kambanje. “This country belongs to its citizens, not to secret deals, dodgy machines, or a manipulated voters’ roll.”
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