A study by the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Chisankho Watch on Party and Campaign Financing in Malawi has identified unclear laws and roles between the Office of Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) as major factors affecting the implementation of the Polifical Parties Act of 2018.

The study has also singled out the weak oversight capacity of the Office of Registrar of Political Parties and political party practices of lacking financial transparency as some of the challenges.

The law, among others, makes it illegal for political players to give out handouts to entice people to vote for them.

It also calls on political parties to make public their sources of
funding.

They have called on political parties to take immediate steps to institutionalize intra-party compliance mechanisms. Each party should appoint a designated compliance officer responsible for tracking donations, managing expenditure, and preparing financial disclosures.

Speaking in Lilongwe after the presentation of the study findings, CHRR Executive Director, Michael Kaiyatsa said the office of the registrar of political parties needs to be strengthened to ensure that political parties are complying with the law.

"We also found that political parties have challenges of compliance due to lack of systems. We need a law that supports fait participation of the citizens in politics," said Kaiyatsa.

Chairperson for the Center for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), Ben Chakhame has agreed with the findings highlighted in the report.

"We agreed to some of the finding of the findings however we have noted that there other stakeholders who do not know that according to the current legislation, political parties are answerable to the office of the registrar of political parties," Chakhame said.