Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says all is set for Dedza Central Constituency by-election slated for Thursday, November 16, 2023.

According to the Commission`s Director of Media and Public Relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa, all preparations regarding the polls have been finalised including pre-inspection exercise.

He said: “We are set and prepared for voting, in Dedza Central constituency, all the staff that we needed we recruited and we have deployed him to the polling stations training has been conducted. We have also done inspection for all putting materials and items that will be needed.

“So all the centers are ready operational wise to start putting at 6am so our appeal is to everyone else who registered in Dedza Central Constituency.”

Mwafulirwa told YFM on Wednesday that voting will commence from 6 O’clock in the morning to 4 O’clock in the afternoon.

“So our appeal is to everyone else who registered to turn out in large numbers and the cast their vote voting is going to run from 6am to 4pm. The laws change and they change them for closing. It’s no longer 6pm it’s 4pm.

“So anybody who will be at a polling station by 4pm will be assisted to vote. They won’t be sent back but anybody who comes after 4pm will not be allowed to join the queues because they will come at a time we have already closed the center’s,” Mwafulirwa said.

The Commission said it has been in touch with the Malawi Police Service and that adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure that polling and result counting runs smoothly.

A total of three candidates are contesting for the post which fell vacant following the death of its Member of Parliament Daniel Chiwere on 17th July 2023.