Effectiveness of Electoral Violence Prevention Mechanisms: Insights from Malawi

Abstract

Elections are vital to democracy and democratic consolidation. Ideally, they are peaceful endeavours, allowing voters to express their preferences and winners to take office. However, elections in the Third Wave of democracy often exhibit violence. Election Violence Prevention (EVP) mechanisms have been employed to address conflicts between various actors. Nevertheless, their effectiveness in curbing electoral violence varies across African countries. This paper examines the effectiveness of EVP mechanisms in Malawi, focusing on the Public Affairs Committee, National Initiative for Civic Education, and Multi-party Liaison Committees. The paper argues that EVP mechanisms have been effective in preventing electoral violence. The effectiveness of these mechanisms relates to their origin, design, composition and operation methodology.