UDF on restructuring exercise in readiness for 2019 polls

United Democratic Front (UDF) General Secretary Kandie Padambo has disclosed that the party is intact and ready to contest in the next General Elections slated for May 2019.

Padambo said this amid questions over the party’s relationship with the rulling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

UDF became bed-fellows with DPP in 2014 after the General Elections after the winning President Peter Mutharika of DPP drafted UDF leader Atupele Muluzi into his cabinet.

Since then, Muluzi has been holding several ministerial portifolios and he is currently the Minister responsible for Health.

The alliance wind blewed heavily after UDF Members of Parliament (MP’s) crossed the floor to government benches in the National Assembly.

According to Padambo, UDF remains a strong party and will always be part of the country’s political and democratic history.

“UDF is part of the history of this country and is part of the democracy of this country. So there is no doubt that we can contest in the next general elections,” Padambo told a local radio on Tuesday.

This is in line with what party Spokesperson Ken Ndanga told the a local newspaper in April 2016 that: “DPP is not UDF and UDF can never be DPP. We have a party to run which has its own Constitution
and Leadership structure. We have never been DPP, we are not going to ask memberrs from other parties other than UDF to pay for membership cards”.

Only a single UDF Parlimenterian Lucius Banda has stood firm on the side of opposition benches in the national assembly and has refused to work with DPP a party he describes as ‘Corrupt’.

Political and Social Commentators has been blaming UDF leader youthful Muluzi for selling his party by committing himself too much with the DPP.

But Muluzi insists he is to serve the people of Malawi and assist in the development of the nation and rise above petty politics.