MALAWI’S main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says democracy is a competitive process and there is no room for political endorsements.
The sentiments come barely a few days after some members of the party endorsed former Malawi president, Peter Wa Mutharika, who is currently leading the party to contest for the party in the country’s presidential elections slated for May 2025, Madalitso Wills Kateta reports.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe on Thursday, the party’s publicity secretary Nicholas Dausi said that people that are endorsing people’s candidature in the 2025 elections are destroying the party.
‘All we know is that the DPP should have a convention before the end of July which will allow members of the party to elec
t a person who they want to represent them in the 2025 presidential elections,’ said Dausi.
He challenged party members who were advocating for Mutharika’s candidature in the 2025 presidential elections saying if Mutharika was interested to contest for the party, he should openl
y declare his interest and contest at the party’s elective convention.
‘Malawians are tired of intimidation, we lost the government and we needed to do some soul searching to see where we went wrong so that we once again become a strong party,’ he said.
Joyce Chitsulo, one of the party’s members of parliament who attended the briefing said it was surprising that some members of the party from southern Malawi were saying the region had endorsed Mutharika when there was no consultations for such an endorsement.
‘I represent people from Mwanza West and I was surprised to hear that the whole southern region has endorsed Mutharika to lead the party in the 2025 elections,’ said Chitsulo.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Ralph Jooma a member of parliament from southern Malawi district of Mangochi who said one can’t can’t endorse a person who has never expressed interest to contest in an election.
Recently there have been confusion in the former Malawi ruling party with some sections of the party endorsing Mutharika while others support the candidature of leader of the opposition in parliament, Kondwani Nankhumwa, who is also the party’s second vice-president for the country’s southern region.
