In Malawi, development partners and civil society organizations fear that this year's general elections will be the most violent in the country, given the current political intolerance between supporters of various political parties.

In a context of violence that characterized the post-election period in 2019, in contestation of the election results, Malawi is already experiencing tense moments with around six months to go before the vote on 16 September.

The country is currently being rocked by mass protests against the high cost of living, among other concerns.

No less worrying is the fact that demonstrators are brutally attacked by individuals armed with machetes and axes, who prevent protests from continuing in the streets.

The latest attack was against civil servants in the city of Lilongwe, who took to the streets last week to demand a pay rise.

There are records of DPP MPs' vehicles being vandalized in Lilongwe, MCP vehicles being attacked in Machinga, women in MCP clothing being stripped naked in Blantyre, party president Aford's motorcade being stoned in Lilongwe, and DPP supporters being beaten up in Dowa, among several other scenes of violence.

Peter Mutharika, president of the DPP, has already stated that he will not allow fraud in the next elections, otherwise the consequences will be serious.

In view of these events and the almost weekly demonstrations, a high-level meeting involving development partners, electoral agents and officers from the Malawi Defense and Security Force was called as an emergency.

The US embassy's Chargé d'Affaires, Amy Diaz, said that the meeting served to outline strategies that could ensure that Malawi has peaceful elections.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has provided the Malawi Police Service with forensic and information and communication technology equipment to boost its operations ahead of this year's general elections.

The Commissioner of Police for Research and Planning, Dennis Chipawo, said that the hotspots of violence have already been mapped and, with this equipment, it will be easy to respond promptly to any incident of political intolerance.

The National Initiative for Civic Education, Trust equipped 40 volunteers from Dedza District with skills to prevent violence against women, young people and people with disabilities ahead of this year's vote.

More than 20 political parties will be able to run in the general elections on September 16. (RM)