LILONGWE, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- All is set in Malawi after the country's electoral body received the final batch of ballot papers on Sunday from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where they were printed ahead of the Sept. 16 general elections.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) began receiving ballot papers on Sept. 1 through Kamuzu International Airport in the capital, Lilongwe, in the presence of representatives from all election stakeholders, including competing political parties.
MEC Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said at a press briefing on Sunday night that the ballot papers and related materials are being kept securely under 24-hour guard at an airport warehouse, pending dispatch to polling centers across the country.
"We have put in place adequate mechanisms, including MDF (Malawi Defense Force) and police oversight, to guarantee the safety of the ballots and other related materials," said Mtalimanja.
She added that the entire process has been conducted with transparency and no complaints have been lodged with the commission so far regarding the printing or shipping of the ballot papers.
The MEC chairperson also said representatives from both ruling and opposition parties traveled with MEC officials to Dubai to witness the ballot printing and were present at the airport when the papers arrived over the past week.
According to Mtalimanja, the ballot papers and over 120,000 temporary employees will be dispatched to polling centers across the country from Monday.
A total of 7.2 million registered Malawian voters are expected to elect the president, members of parliament, and local government leaders (councilors) on the polling day, which will open at 6 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. local time.
Incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera will face 16 challengers in the polls, including former presidents Peter Mutharika and Joyce Banda, as well as former Reserve Bank of Malawi Governor Dalitso Kabambe. The National Assembly has 229 parliamentary seats, while the local government has 509 seats.
According to the East African country's election laws, the candidate who amasses a 50-percent-plus-one vote count in the presidential election will be declared the winner as the country's president; if none of the candidates reach the threshold, a runoff will be triggered. ■
