MCP under fire for failure to decide on chaotic primary polls

Main opposition, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has come under intense fire from some aspiring candidates for the party failure to resolve primary polls concerns in some areas.

Some of the candidates, who asked to be anonymous, said the party is keeping the parliamentary candidates in suspense and urged the party leadership to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Political scientist Ernest Thindwa said the failure to resolve the concerns on the chaotic exposes the type of leadership in the oldest party in the country.

“This also shows that some political parties have no capacity to hold their own primary elections,” he said.

He said the failure to deal with the primary polls concerns also shows lack of intra-party democracy in some parties in the country.

“The party needs to resolve the primary election issues with speed because some of the aspirants and their followers might be defecting to other parties,” said Thindwa.

MCP is yet to make a ruling on the outcome of chaotic primary polls in Dedza east, Salima north west, Lilongwe Msozi south and three other constituencies in Mchinji.

But MCP publicist Maurice Munthali said an appeals committee appointed by the party is working on the concerns.

“The appeals committee cannot work with speed because the concerns are not in one constituency only, there are in many constituencies where the primary elections were marred by violence or disagreements,” he said.

Munthali said the appeals committee will hand down fair and credible rulings without fear or favour.