Tembo trashes opinion polls that puts Chakwera loser
Veteran politician John Tembo has trashed opinion polls that put Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential candidate Lazarus Chakwera loser, saying facts on the ground puts Chakwera winner with landslide.
In an exclusive interview with Nyasa Times, the former Leader of Opposiiton said he was upbeat MCP will next week form a government after 20 years in opposition.
“We have moved around the country and we know how the situation is. MCP is winning this election,” said Tembo visibly confident.
He said social services have virtually collapsed in the country because of lack of visionary and leadership, saying even the economy, which was vibrant during the MCP rule has completely collapsed.
“If you can see good roads, the University of Malawi and other long lasting public infrastructures, it was the work of Kamuzu and the Malawi Congress Party. I know that even now, the MCP has sound policies on health, agriculture and other areas which will make people vote for it,” said Tembo who worked closely with the father and founder of the nation until 1994 when the MCP was ousted from power at the second multiparty elections by the United Democratic Front.
Since then, Tembo has been an influential leader of opposition in parliament and claimed he lost subsequent elections due to rigging.
Speaking in Zomba recently, Chakwera was upbeat that he would grab the presidency in next week’s elections.
“MCP is making it into government, no question about it. We have put in place sound policies which will make Malawi a better place to live,” he said.
Chakwera therefore asked people to come out in large numbers and vote for the oldest party in the country on May 20 if the development which he claimed has been stagnant, has to start again and accelerate.
An opinion poll released on Friday by the US-based Afrobarometer placed the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Peter Mutharika as a frontrunner with 27 percent of the vote followed by Chakwera and incumbent President Joyce Banda of People’s Party (PP) at 21 and 19 percent respectively.
The Afrobarometer controversial opinion poll, conducted between March 23 and April 7 2014 with a sample size of 2 400, placed Atupele on fourth position with 14 percent.
Other polls by London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Malawi’s Research Tech Consultants and online news site Nyasa Times have highly favoured President Banda to win the forthcoming elections and placed MCP second.
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