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"We are calling upon all Malawians who are 18 and above or would have turned 18 by 19 May, 2009 to register for the vote," said Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC ) chairperson Anastazia Msosa at a press conference here Sunday.
Msosa said all foreigners who have lived in Malawi for over seven years can also register because, according to the country's constitution, they are naturalised citizens and are therefore eligible to vote.
She said between five and seven million Malawians are expected to be registered.
The Malawi voters' roll sparked controversy during the 2004 elections when the MEC said there were at least six million voters but after the courts called for a re-count it was discovered that there were only five million voters, sparking al l egations of vote-rigging.
Msosa said to avoid a repeat of the controversy, a fresh voters' register will be compiled.
"This is a fresh registration...I have my fingers crossed that we should get it right this time around. The voters' roll, ahead of the 2004 elections, had a lot of problems. This time around we want to come up with a credible voters' roll which we can build on, for the future," said Msosa, a judge at the country's Supreme Court of Appeal.
"We will register everyone eligible to vote, including those that have already registered."
MEC plans to spend US $50 million on the 19 May poll.
The registration exercise will be in six phases, the first one beginning 18-31 August, while the whole exercise will close 29 November.
MEC has launched an all-out media blitz to entice the largely illiterate rural Malawians to register and vote for a new president and lawmakers.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is coordinating donor funding for the elections.
Other donors include former colonial powers, Britain, which has pledged US$8 million, Norway and Germany.
Britain has since urged Malawi, which has been engulfed in political acrimony between the powerful opposition and President Binguwa Mutharika's minority government, to ensure the poll does not trigger the kind of violence that followed disputed polls in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
President Mutharika will be seeking re-election for his second and final term and is likely to face stiff challenge from main opposition Malawi Congress Party ( M CP) presidential candidate John Tembo.
The veteran politician came a close second during the 2004 vote.
Former president Bakili Muluzi, who has already served as president for two consecutive five-year terms, is also seeking a come-back, claiming that Malawi laws allow a former president who has taken a break after serving the two five-year consecutive terms to bounce back, a contention currently being challenged in court.
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