The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) held a three-day capacity-building workshop in Lilongwe, supported by the African Union (AU), COMESA, and International IDEA, aimed at strengthening electoral risk management and addressing gender-based violence in elections. This initiative comes as the country intensifies preparations for the 16 September 2025 General Election.
Speaking at the official opening of the “Protecting Elections Workshop: Risk Management And Addressing Gender-Based Discrimination And Violence In Electoral Processes” MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja emphasized that the training is both “timely and urgent,” given the growing complexity of electoral challenges in Malawi and the region.
“We are determined to deliver a process that is credible, transparent, inclusive, peaceful, and trusted by the Malawian people,” she said. “And we cannot do this without addressing the threats posed by gender-based discrimination and election-related risks.”
Justice Mtalimanja used the platform to highlight the often invisible yet widespread issue of gender-based violence in electoral processes. She stressed that such violence–whether physical, psychological, or economic–can severely deter women, youth, and marginalized groups from participating in elections as voters, candidates, or electoral officials.
“We have seen how women are harassed into silence or fear during election cycles,” she said. “This cannot be allowed to continue.”
The Commission is now integrating gender-sensitive approaches into every aspect of electoral planning, from staff recruitment to civic education and conflict mitigation.
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The training is part of a larger AU-led Technical Assistance Mission to Malawi, which was launched following a Pre-Elections Assessment Mission conducted in March 2025.
The mission recommended robust capacity-building for MEC to strengthen its readiness for the September polls. Over 50 MEC Commissioners and senior staff, along with other stakeholders, participated in the training that run from 16 to 18 June 2025.
According to the AU, the workshops will be followed by a second round of support starting in July, which will cover a range of technical areas including gender inclusion, logistics management, electoral risk frameworks, and data-driven decision-making.
“This mission is part of broader efforts to consolidate democracy, peace, and stability in Malawi,” the AU noted in its official statement, adding that the initiative is aligned with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the 2002 Declaration of Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa.
The African Union’s partnership with COMESA and International IDEA ensures that the technical assistance is both holistic and regionally informed. The workshops include interactive exercises in risk mapping, conflict simulation, and policy development, with international experts facilitating knowledge exchange.