Thank you for voting me MP, MCP’s Sitolo tells Nsanje Lalanje

Opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP)  MP –elect for Nsanje Lalanje, Lawrence Sitolo, has thanked voters for putting their trust in him  in the fourth time polls luck and pledged to work as hard as possible to represent the constituency .

Sitolo, who contested in three of the country’s past elections but failed to win in all of them, triumphed this time around in almost 10 out of 13 polling stations that were set up for the Nsanje- Lalanje seat.

He hopes to repay the trust voters have placed in him by fighting local issues in Parliament and working within communities.

“I would like to thank the people of Nsanje Lalanje for giving me the opportunity to serve them,” said Sitolo when Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) officially declared him winner of the by-election.

Sitolo was declared  winner of Nsanje Lalanje constituency after he polled 8, 775 votes followed by Gladys Ganda of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who secured 5, 453. Winnie Wakudyanaye who contested as an independent candidate got 204 votes.

“I’m very pleased and I’d like to thank the people of Nsanje Lalanje for putting their trust in me .It’s quite humbling to receive anyone’s vote,” Sitolo told Nyasa Times.

“ I will work as hard as I can to fulfil my responsibilities to each and every person in the constituency,” he said.

Sitolo said he had an “enjoyable campaign!” which was marshalled by MCP’s new recruit, businessperson and former Cabinet minister Mohammed Sidik Mia

MCP’s imminent victory in Nsanje Lalanje is  widely attributed to efforts of Mia, who is regarded as an influential figure in the Shire Valley districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje. This is the first time since the 1999 General Elections that MCP has won a a seat in the Southern Region.

The Nsanje-Lalanje Constituency seat became vacant after the death of Sam Ganda in May this year (2017).

His wife Gladys Ganda chose to contest to succeed her husband but lost to Sitolo.