The Malawi Police Service (MPS), in partnership with the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), has launched a joint electoral security taskforce to ensure peace and stability before, during and after Tuesday’s elections.
The taskforce has established operation command centres across the country, in the Northern, South West, South East, Eastern, Central West and Central East regions, with a national command centre stationed at Police Headquarters in Lilongwe.
Inspector General of Police Merlyne Yolamu, speaking at the launch, said the centres are designed to provide a real-time response to incidents and crimes, with officers coordinating through live updates to facilitate rapid decision-making.
She dismissed speculation that the command centres would be converted into alternative tally centres, stressing that this exclusively for security response.
“This is about protecting Malawians and safeguarding the credibility of the polls. The centres will help us detect and respond to threats immediately,” Yolamu said.
The initiative comes at a time of heightened public anxiety following recent revelations of alleged plots by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to unleash violence, burn markets, and bribe presiding officers in a bid to destabilize the electoral process.
Just last week, police confirmed the arrest of four suspects in Blantyre and Lilongwe linked to a DPP-organised arson plan targeting markets and business hubs.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Fenella Frost described the launch of the joint taskforce as a “clear sign of Malawi’s preparedness” to hold peaceful and credible elections.
She added that the UNDP has equipped the Malawi Police Service with drones, mobile phones, and tablets worth over K350 million to boost real-time security supervision and transparency.
“The equipment and coordination centres will act as a beacon for free, fair and peaceful elections. Malawi is demonstrating its commitment to protect democracy,” Frost said.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has also welcomed the move, reiterating that no political grouping has the right to intimidate voters or disrupt polling.
With clear signs that DPP candidate Arthur Peter Mutharika is set to lose, security experts argue that the deployment of the joint taskforce will be crucial in containing potential unrest and violence, deliberately created by the DPP.
