Malawi Congress Party convention set for August 9
The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) politburo on Thursday agreed to hold their long awaited national convention which will run from August 9, to 11, 2013 at the Natural Resources College in the capital, Lilongwe.
National Executive Committee (Nec) members meeting in Lilongwe on Thursday agreed in the dates and its now all-systems-go for the indaba.
MCP spokesperson Jolly Kalero confirmed the dates, saying the NEC agreed to hold the convention in a democratic, fair and transparent manner.
“The MCP convention will be held from August 9 to 11 at the Natural Resources College,” informed Kalelo. “This has been agreed by NEC.”
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.
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 current MCP leader John Tembo is facing a challenge from 11 candidates who would want to lead the party. But the party’s constitution bars Tembo to seek re-election having exhausted his two mandatory terms.
The challengers include party secretary general Chris Daza; former Malawi Assemblies of God president Lazarus Chakwera; former Farmers Union of Malawi (Fum) president Felix Jumbe; retired Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo and former Cabinet Minister Jodder Kanjere.
Other contestatnts are former secretary general Betson Majoni; MPs Edwin Banda (Nkhotakota central); Watson Makala Ngozo (Lilongwe Mpenu) and Joseph Njobvuyalema (Lilongwe Mapuyu south); and the party’s former director of political affairs Eston Kakhome.