Irregularities rock UTM Lilongwe City South East primaries
Disagreements, tussling, threats and fighting took center stage during the UTM Party primary elections at Lilongwe City South East Constituency that were held over the weekend.
Various disagreements ranging from claims of ghost constituency areas and delegates and duplication of results were the order of the day, which left the presiding officer Mertcher Chirwa lacking in his decision making.
UTM Vice Secretary General Levie Luwemba and Luke Wongani Mkandawire who were the main contenders and their delegates kept on blaming each other on the irregularities before, during and after the voting.
Some monitors from both sides as well as party observers that Nyasa Times spoke to confirmed that there were so many irregularities mainly on the difference between the recorded results after vote counting and the actual results announced by the presided officers from UTM district office.
There were differences on how the presiding officers chose to fill in the delegates from the 85 areas where the party has not representative as it was suspected that venders and bicycle transport operators from Area 23 market were called to fill in the vacant areas.
“At State House center, during the counting of the votes, Luwemba is said to have 54 votes against Mkandawire’s 213 votes but it was later recorded that Luwemba got 101 while at Mlodza Center, Luwemba got 126 votes against Mkandawire’s 401 yet they recorded the later’s votes as 243,” said one of the monitors who spoke on condition of anonymity.
At the end of the day, Mkandawire refused to sign the result sheet ‘suspecting massive, organized electoral fraud.’
In an interview later after, Mkandawire said the party could have assigned a senior and unbiased person who could not be intimidated by any of the contestants.
Both Chirwa and Luwemba could not be reached for a comment while the party’s Secretary General Patricia Kaliati’s phone went unanswered several times.
The primary elections in the area failed to take place on Tuesday last week when UTM Director of Youth Bon Kalindo who was the presiding officer called off the activities after noting several similar irregularities.
The UTM party had initially announced that it would hold primary election in all the 193 constituencies and 452 wards nationwide simultaneously on January 3, but misunderstandings in some areas resulted in the cancellation and postponement of the elections.
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These are indicators comes general election they will also struggle. In fact they don’t know what to do they do not have strùctures and they don’t have people.
Which primary party election has gone without scandals my friend??? What ever you may say but we will contest
iwe ukuganiza ngati masewela ngakale a dpp kupanda ndalama zokuba zonjezera mafuta atasika kunjako ndicholinga azitibela ma hundred kwacha sibwezi atafika palipose, kuti pweteka ndindalama za misonko inu basi nkumapangira ma primaries zazii ngati zimenezi , mec ipasidwe ndalama zamisonko komaso dpp primaries nayo ndalama zamisonko sitikutuka chifukwa chazimenezi
iwe ukuganiza ngati masewela ngakale a dpp kupanda ndalama zokuba zonjezera mafuta atasika kunjako ndicholinga azitibela ma hundred kwacha sibwezi atafika palipose, kuti pweteka ndindalama za misonko inu basi nkumapangira ma primaries zazii ngati zimenezi , mec ipasidwe ndalama zamisonko komaso dpp primaries nayo ndalama zamisonko sitikutuka chifukwa chazimenezi
UTM ilibe ma area. In most primary erections not elections by his bunch of frustrated idiots, candidates were just being collected from streets or taxi toots
how is this any of your fucken business????????? by end of the day UTM is the next govt you like it or not you fucken cadet, munya chakachino apumbwa inu kkkkkkkk
Mwachepanazo kuzichemelera ngati zenizeni,,,,, kkkk
These stories of primary election nonsense are getting tiring. The whole country, all the parties, chaos galore just shows that this useless system inherited from the MCP is a complete joke and needs to change. The problem is you will end up with winners who know how to cheat and play in such a chaotic corrupt system. The good well behaved chaps will lose and you end up with wrong people are MPs etc…
Change the system.
i agree the system does need to be revised, most primaries are not delivering the right people, amalawi tiyeni tizipanga zinthu mwa zeru ne, kodi are we the poorest because they is no smart people in this country
Mwadziwa liti kuti system siili bwino. Kodi mmesa momwe mumadzitamilira kuti mupanga ma primaries tsiku limodzi mosiyanitsa ndi zipani zinazi, mmesa mmadalira system yake yomweyi? Mmadzitengatu madolo paja. Dzitsiru zina za atola nkhani komanso aja amati a political analysts achina Makhumbo Munthali kumakuyikilani kumbuyo. Lero ali kuti. Ndiye podzipitiliza kudzikwata ndi chala kuti mungachite create one million jobs in one year?
Ndimmene ma primary elections amakhalira pano pa Malawi aphwanga, nde inu a UTM mumati chani paja?
Same tactics SKC and APM did in 2014 .