Half True

Elections 2025

Half-truth in reports of alleged pre-marked ballot papers in Machinga

FACT-CHECKED by iVerify

September 17, 2025

While the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says it is not true that the ballot papers found in Machinga were pre-marked for a particular candidate and were just randomly stained with ink due to a factory fault, several observers that iVerify Malawi interviewed said there are thumbprints suggesting pre-marking. iVerify Malawi can only determine that the information about the presence of pre-marked ballot papers is partially correct, but incomplete or lacking contextualization.

Claim

Pre-marked papers found in Machinga

Rating Justification

iVerify Malawi verified the information and determined that it is half-true that pre-marked ballot papers were found in some polling stations in Machinga. To arrive at this verdict, iVerify used information that the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) provided and also interviewed some observers. Observers that iVerify Malawi interviewed said there are thumbprints suggesting pre-marking. iVerify Malawi can only determine that the information about the presence of pre-marked ballot papers is partially correct, but incomplete or lacking contextualization.

Evidence and References

Malawi Electoral Commission and observers information

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