With less than two weeks to submission of nomination papers, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been dragged to court for settling for Simon Vuwa Kaunda Junior as its candidate for Salima Central Constituency.
A DPP member, Gift Banda, who contested in the party’s Salima Central primary elections, has made an application before the High Court of Malawi in Lilongwe seeking an injunction to stop the party from certifying Kaunda as its candidate and also stopping him from submitting nomination papers.
In an affidavit filed in support of the application, he alleges that the primary elections in the constituency were rigged and that the number of delegates was inflated, with people that were not supposed to vote being allowed to do so.
Reads the affidavit in part: “The respondent whom I was competing with increased the number of delegates who were mandated to vote from 140 to 221 which I reported to the party.
“Despite reporting of the incident, the party officials went ahead and conducted the primary elections where the first respondent [Kaunda] emerged winner.”
Banda also alleges that delegates were bribed and that a member of the DPP national governing council (NGC) campaigned for Kaunda which was against fair practice.
“Further, the said NGC member gave the delegates money and some party materials which is against the political party’s spirit and dictates,” reads the affidavit.
When contacted, DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba pushed the matter to the party’s director of Legal Affairs Chipiliro Mpinganjira.
However, Mpinganira did not pick his phone when called for comment.
Recently, there have been several cases of complaints of poor organization and conduct of primary polls in some political parties, including Malawi Congress Party.
MCP is currently in court where Minister of Trade and Industry Vitumbiko Mumba is disputing results of Mzimba Central primary election in which Adamson Kuseri Mkandawire was declared winner.
