Mystery still lingers over the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) parliamentary primaries in Mzimba Central Constituency held on Sunday, with senior party officials failing to come out clearly and authenticate the results.

In the election presided over by MCP official Maxwell Thyolera, presidential adviser Adamson Kuseri Mkandawire was declared the victor with 262 votes, purportedly defeating Minister of Trade and Industry Vitumbiko Mumba, who got a paltry five votes.

However, since that declaration, the social media has been awash with unmarked ballot papers for the constituency. Further, no result sheet has been shown, raising questions on how the voting took place and how results were declared.

When contacted to provide details on the matter yesterday, Thyolera confirmed that no ballot papers were used because ‘thugs’ snatched them and delegates “simply lined up behind the candidates”.

He said: “When we changed the venue from Chamaliwa to Katungubiri due to the fracas, those who were at the initial venue that included councillors and from the North-South Region were called to come to the new venue.

“While in transit, the technical guy who carried the ballot papers and result sheets, among other items, met these thugs who attacked him and took the ballot papers and result sheets, including other belongings like phones as he was coming to the second venue.”

Thyolera said in the absence of the ballot papers, a decision was made for delegates to queue behind their choice candidates.

He said: “I sought direction from the party leadership on how we should proceed. That is how we arrived at the decision to have delegates stand behind a candidate.

“He [Mumba] left the country yet he knew that there will be primaries on Sunday. He [Mumba] met the [MCP] secretary general personally on Thursday and was told that primaries will take place.”

But Euthini Ward councillor Paul Chondo said Thyolera was being economical with the truth because by the time they got to Katungubiri, they found nothing apart from being told that the voting had already taken place.

He said: “Party rules are that we are supposed to use ballot papers, nothing else! Secondly, why would they proceed to conduct an election without some candidates, and regional people who were on their way to the same second venue?

“Mumba was not available. Who actually represented him during the said election? For us, the district secretary [Matthews Shaba] already wrote the party that the elections did not take place. That is our stand!”

So far, MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila, deputy secretary general Gerald Kazembe and secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda have not been forthcoming with responses to clear the mist.

Later, first deputy spokesperson Kondi Msungama said their office was yet to be briefed on the matter. He referred The Nation to director of elections Elias Chakwera.

But Chakwera also pushhed the issue to Chimwendo Banda, saying: “You should seek views of the secretary general.”

In an interview, an expert in identity and electoral politics, Gift Sambo said the lack of consistency regarding the voting system provides a strong basis for doubting the results, and puts the whole exercise under question.

“If not addressed, these squabbles may ruin the party’s chances of approaching the elections as a unified force.

“Discontent candidates end up contesting as independents, thereby dividing the vote in the actual elections,” he said.

Governance pundit George Chaima urged the MCP to return power and democratic right back to the people and not leaders.