The materials will be moved from the capital, Lilongwe, to more than 5,000 polling stations across the country.

The commission says slightly more than six million people have registered for the vote. The process will use a mix of manual and electronic methods.

While the voting will be paper-based, the transmission and final tally of the ballots will be electronic.

This is the first time the country will use this system.

Commission chairperson Jane Ansah has told the BBC that the country is well prepared for the elections, which analysts say will be closely contested.

"We have been preparing for a while now and we can assure the country that we will be holding a credible process," she told the BBC.

She also addressed concerns raised by some politicians that the poll could be rigged.

"All we have heard so far are just words and no concrete proof. But we believe that the system we have put in place is foolproof and we expect the election to be rigging-free.”

Malawians go to the polls on 21 May to elect a president, parliamentarians and local councillors.