Africa-Press – Malawi. As the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has officially announced designated bank accounts and corresponding nomination fees for presidential, parliamentary and Local Government candidates ahead of the 2025 general elections, big parties are yet to consolidate names of candidates that will represent them.
According to Mec Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi, the collection of nomination forms will begin on June 10, 2025.
The notice serves as a formal step in the election calendar as political parties and independent candidates prepare to contest in one of the country’s most anticipated democratic processes.
According to Mec, nomination fees for presidential candidates are supposed to be K2,500,000 while parliamentary candidate fees for males are K1,250,000, with females expected to part ways with K1,250,000.
Mec says persons with disabilities and youths below 35 years are supposed to pay K1,250,000.
Richard Chimwendo BandaFor Local Government election candidates, Mec says every male person is supposed to deposit a K200,000 nomination fee while female candidates, persons with disabilities and youths below 35 years are supposed to pay K100,000.
MCP secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda said the party was ready to field candidates in all 229 constituencies.
“We will feature [candidates] in all constituencies and wards across Malawi. We are concluding primary elections in the South [ern Region],” Chimwendo Banda said.
He further said the party has had competitive primary elections across the 229 constituencies, and that they are remaining with a few contingencies to settle matters as a party.
When asked if they will pay for some candidates, like women and people with disabilities, Chimwendo Banda said the party would communicate on the issue later.
Alliance for Democracy President Enock Chihana said the party was ready to field candidates in all the constituencies of the country.
Enock Chihana“We are ready to field candidates in both parliamentary and Local Government elections. We are also planning to pay for candidates that cannot afford [to pay] fees,” Chihana said.
People’s Party (PP) secretary general Ben Chakhame said they were ready to fill candidates in all the constituencies of the country.
“The [report on the] final number of candidates will be shared once we have finished primary elections this weekend,” Chakhame said.
However, secretaries-general of United Democratic Front, Democratic Progressive Party and UTM Party were reportedly busy in meetings, such that they were yet to respond to us by the time we went to bed.
In a public notice dated May 26, 2025, Mec has advised all aspiring candidates and political parties to deposit non-refundable nomination fees into specific accounts managed by FDH Bank. This requirement aligns with Section 40(1) of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act of 2023.
According to the commission, nomination fees must be deposited prior to the collection of nomination forms, which will begin on June 10, 2025.
Presidential aspirants will collect nomination forms from Mec headquarters in Lilongwe while Parliamentary and Local Government Elections candidates are expected to obtain nomination forms at their respective council offices.
Mec has further said any political party that intends to pay nomination fees on behalf of its candidates must first notify the Chief Elections Officer in writing, adding that additional guidance will then be provided by the electoral body.
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