Members of Parliament (MPs) have adopted a report of the Electoral Commission (EC) on its determination of constituency and ward boundaries.

The report has seen an increase in number of parliamentary constituencies from the current 193 to 229.

In an interview with YFM online, Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo said the adoption means that the electoral body will use the re-demarcated constituency maps in the forthcoming 2025 general polls.

“The report has now been confirmed by the National Assembly which means thay the 2025 general elections will be conducted on the basis of these new constituency and ward.

“But the next exercise which EC must now embark upon is now to consider polling stations because it means that some polling stations which were in that constituency may have changed,” said Mvalo.

According to the EC, the last comprehensive review of constituency boundaries was conducted in 1998 in preparation for the 1999 General Elections.

But the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) through its spokesperson on legal issues Yusuf Nthenda said the Party is worried that the exercise will cost Malawians more into abject poverty.

“Malaŵi is a very poor country, we cannot afford to have 229 MPs, if we are failing to finance 193 MPs what more if we increase the constituencies.

“Being poor as we are, we should not start implementing policies that are going to push Malawians into poverty, we are already in poverty, but some of these issues will push us deep into abject poverty,” lamented Nthenda.

The Commission is mandated by the Constitution to, among other things, determine and review constituency and ward boundaries at intervals of not more than five years.