DPP indaba date after June—SG

Malawi’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has set June as deadline for organising grass-root structures in readiness for the national convention which is expected to rubber-stamp the Professor Peter Mutharika’s candidature in the 2014 presidential election.

DPP secretary general Wakuda Kamanga said in an interview that the party’s door for other presidential aspirants was open to contest against Mutharika who has already shown interest.

Kamanga was reacting to claims by some officials in the party that the DPP rank and file has decided to skip the convention because the candidate for the 2014 presidential race had already been identified.

Sources said the party had tasked three officials to facilitate the process of identifying the running-mate to the younger Mutharika whose elder brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, has publicly endorsed.

However, Kamanga said after putting in place structures from which the delegates to the national convention would be drawn, the party is expected to announce the date for the indaba.

“We will have a national convention and right now we are organising the grass-root structures where we draw the delegates to the convention. This exercise is expected to be through by June,” said Kamanga.

“When we can have the convention, the party will have to decide the suitable date after June. I cannot speculate at the moment but definitely, we will have the convention,” he said.