Differences emerge in DPP Southern Region primaries
The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary general Greselder Jeffrey says results of primary elections for almost all constituencies in the Southern Region have been disputed, forcing the party to consider a re-run.
Jeffrey said this yesterday in Blantyre after some disgruntled Blantyre City West DPP members marched to the party’s regional offices in Sunnyside to present a petition, disputing results of primary election in their area where presiding officers declared the incumbent legislator Tarsizius Gowelo the winner.
The group, visibly sympathetic to former member of Parliament (MP) for the area Bertha Masiku who lost to Gowelo, stormed the DPP regional office where they presented a petition to some party leaders, including Jeffrey, vice-president for the South Kondwani Nankhumwa and regional governor for the South Charles Mchacha.
After receiving the petition, the three officials held a closed-door meeting to discuss the issues raised therein.
In an interview after the meeting, Jeffrey, who is also chairperson of the primary elections, said a 10-member committee will meet before the end of this month address all the queries made in the party’s primary elections.
She said: “We have received queries from all constituencies in the Southern Region except Phalombe South and Thyolo South West, that the elections were not fair. So, the committee will meet before January to come up with the decision if it will be necessary to conduct primary elections re-run or not.”
Among some constituencies where the primary elections did not go well are Chiradzulu East and Chiradzulu South, where the incumbents, who are also Cabinet ministers Henry Mussa and Joseph Mwanamvekha, respectively, were declared winners.
In a letter from Joseph Nomale, who lost to Mussa, dated December 21 addressed to the party secretary general, the aspirant asks the party to declare him winner of the primary elections.
Reads the letter in part: “I write to demand that, I, as winner be officially declared as a Democratic Progressive Party torchbearer for Chiradzulu East Constituency in the 2019 election. Democratic Progressive Party is a democratic party, let democracy prevail. If I am not assisted, I will have no choice but to seek legal redress.”
Commenting on the squabbles in DPP primary elections, Chancellor College-based political analyst Ernest Thindwa said the differences indicate that some party leaders are being imposed in the elections.
He said: “There is a tendency to impose the party elite, simply because the party wants to protect those elites; hence, all these differences. They also reveal how undemocratic these parties are.One of the biggest problems is lack of capacity to organise primary elections.”
University of Livingstonia political analyst George Phiri also said the squabbles in DPP are an indication that the party did not prepare well.
DPP started conducting primary elections in October this year starting with constituencies whose incumbent MP is DPP.
