By Burnett Munthali
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has released crucial information regarding the payment of nomination fees for the upcoming 2025 General Elections.
In a public notice issued on 26th May 2025, MEC informed all political parties, aspiring candidates, and stakeholders that, in line with Section 40(1) of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act, 2023, nomination fees must be paid at the time of collecting nomination forms.
Candidates or their appointed election representatives are required to make non-refundable deposits into designated bank accounts before they can obtain the nomination papers.
MEC has provided two separate FDH Bank Plc accounts for this purpose.
For Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, the fees should be deposited into the “Malawi Electoral Commission Presidential and Parliamentary Elections” account number 1040000060645.
For Local Government Elections, deposits must be made into the “Malawi Electoral Commission” account number 1040000014333.
These accounts are available in all FDH Bank branches, and special pre-printed deposit slips will be used to indicate the nomination fee type.
The Commission has also disclosed the fee structure for each category of candidate.
Presidential aspirants are required to pay a fee of K10,000,000.
For Parliamentary seats, male candidates will pay K2,500,000, while female candidates, people with disabilities, and youth under 35 will each pay a reduced fee of K1,250,000.
Local Government election fees are as follows: male candidates will pay K200,000, and female candidates, people with disabilities, and youth under 35 will each pay K100,000.
The process of paying nomination fees and collecting nomination papers will officially begin on 10th June 2025.
Parliamentary and Local Government candidates are expected to collect their forms at their respective council offices.
Presidential aspirants, however, will collect their forms directly from the Commission’s head office in Lilongwe.
MEC has also clarified procedures for political parties intending to pay fees on behalf of their candidates.
Such parties are required to notify the Chief Elections Officer in writing before proceeding with the payments.
Upon receiving this notification, the Commission will provide specific instructions directly to the concerned political party.
The statement was signed by Andrew Mpesi, the Chief Elections Officer.
