YAS advocates financial support to boost youth participation in elections
Youth and Society (YAS) is advocating for financial support to encourage more youth to participate in elections.
YAS programs manager Mwandida Theu made the remarks during a Youth Dialogue Café engagement on elections.
The event attended by members of the media, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and youth representatives from political parties, served as a crucial platform for discussing electoral processes and law reforms.
“The primary focus of our project is to target young people, acknowledging their limited capacity in electoral processes and the importance of encouraging them to vote,” Theu said.
She added; “However, beyond mere encouragement, we recognize the necessity for young people to have the resources to actively participate in the whole electoral process. Minus resources and building their capacities, I don’t think young people can be able to take part in electoral processes.”
Reflecting on the significance of the engagement, Theu underscored the importance of disseminating information on electoral reforms to the general populace, emphasizing the crucial role played by the media and CSOs.
Echoing Theu’s sentiments, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) regional elections manager for the south King Norman Rudi, stressed the pivotal role of the media and CSOs in disseminating accurate information to the public.
“It is imperative that the media and CSOs are well-informed for them to be able to disseminate accurate information on the current electoral regime. The civil society and the media should take the lead in delivering messages to the populace to ensure widespread awareness of the electoral laws in Malawi. “The media and CSOs should mobilize and sensitize the people on the eligibility requirements for voter registration. Many individuals mistakenly believe that possessing a National ID automatically grants them the right to vote, but it is crucial to educate them about the separate voter registration process,” Rudi emphasized.
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