Mpinganjira says ‘rigging’ forces PP out of Thyolo East by-elections
Former ruling People’s Party (PP) has said it is not going to field a candidate for next month’s Thyolo East parliamentary by-elections because of the May 20 fraudulent polls.
Mpinganjira said in a media statement that “there was massive cheating in the May 20 Tripartite Elections and that Malawi Electoral Commission [MEC] played a key role in the electoral fraud which damaged chances of our presidential, parliamentary and council candidates”.
The party’s leadership agreed over the weekend to pull out of the by-elections set for October 7th, 2014 in two constituencies and five wards.
“As such the Peoples Party has absolutely no confidence in this electoral commission and until meaningful changes and reforms take place, we will not have anything to do with process organized and supervised by this commission,” argued Mpinganjira.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) received nomination papers from aspiring candidates for October 7 by elections on Tuesday.
Thyolo-East is a bedrock of ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the seat fell vacant because President Peter Mutharika’s ascendancy to power as Head of State.
According to a list of aspiring candidates, only DPP through Timothy Gerson Solomoni and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) – Bertha Chisanga have fielded candidates for the Thyolo East race.
They will battle it out with seven other independents including January Chewasi Bwanali, Babu Khamisa, Joel Milanzie, and Lazarus Mangazi.
But PP has ironically fielded a candidate in Blantyre North parliamentary seat where its secretary general Paul Jonas Maulidi is contesting.
Meanwhile, the Commission scrutinising the nominations to ensure that the aspirants are eligible to contest.
The Commission will announce all candidates who will be allowed to contest on September 15, 2014.
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