Malawi Congress Party meets to announce convention date
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) politburo will be meeting Wednesday set the date for the the long awaited convention which was initially scheduled to take place in April before it was indefinitely postponed.
Portipher Chidaya an aide of MCP president John Tembo and Director of Elections Joseph Njobvuyalema, who will also be chair of the convention confirmed that Tembo summoned all national executive committee (Nec) members for the meeting which he said is likely to discuss the convention and come up with a date.
“The President of MCP has called for a meeting on Wednesday which will map the road map to the convention,” said Chidaya.
He insisted the convention is likely to be held soon and after NEC meeting the dates will be made public.
MCP, which ruled the country from independence in 1964 to the dawn of plural politics in 1994, is expected to elect its president who will lead the party in the 2014 presidential race.
Njobvuyalema said all preparations to the convention are in progress and confirmed at the indaba will take place at the Bingu International Conference in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
“It’s all set to have the convention. By Thursday the public will have known the convention dates,” he said.
The MCP first announced about the convention in March when the date was set to be April 27 before the meet was postponed citing lack of funding and appropriate accommodation as the major problem.
The convention dates have been shrouded in controversies.
Njobvuyalema, who is party MP for Lilongwe Mapuyu south and Tembo are among the 12 lined up for the party race.
But the party’s constitution bars Tembo to seek re-election having exhausted his two mandatory terms.
Other contestants are party secretary general Chris Daza, former Malawi Assemblies of God president Lazarus Chakwera, former Farmers Union of Malawi (Fum) president Felix Jumbe, former Cabinet Minister
Jodder Kanjere, former secretary general Betson Majoni, MPs Edwin Banda (Nkhotakota central), Watson Makala Ngozo (Lilongwe Mpenu, retired Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo and the party’s former director of political affairs Eston Kakhome.
Recently Tembo summoned all the aspirants to the top position in his bid to ensure that the run up to the convention and the outcome of the elections should not split the party.
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