How the mighty have fallen

Several veterans in Malawi Parliament and some political old guard have fallen by the way side in the country’s first-ever tripartite elections held on May 20 as unofficial results keep trickling from polling centres.

Most members of incumbent President Joyce Banda’s recently dissolved Cabinet, who abandoned Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) immediately after the death of former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika, lost their parliamentary seats.

Notable victims of the electorate’s wrath include Banda’s running mate Sosten Gwengwe in Dedza Central East Constituency whereas former vice-president Cassim Chilumpha and Justice minister Fahad Assani, who were battling it out in Nkhotakota South, were also on the verge of losing out.

Former Minister of Information and PP vice-president for the Southern Region, Brown Mpinganjira, has lost in Mulanje Central Constituency, but his counterpart in the Central Region, Uladi Mussa, was poised to retain his Salima South Constituency seat.

Outgoing Vice-President Khumbo Kachali needed 294 votes to salvage his political career following stiff competition from independent candidate Raymond Nkhata in Mzimba South West Constituency.

On Wednesday morning, Kachali seemed to be struggling as he trailed Nkhata.

However, eventually, according to a notification of results pasted at Mzimba Tally Centre, Kachali, who was contesting on PP ticket, got 8 254 votes against Nkhata’s 7 960.

Meanwhile, Nkhata has written the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), with a copy made available to the M’mbelwa district commissioner (DC), protesting the eligibility, reliability and credibility of results in one of the polling stations.

Elsewhere, former Finance Minister Ken Lipenga, who was dropped from Cabinet midway during Banda’s two years as President, was also trailing third to an independent and DPP candidates in Phalombe East while in Thyolo East, DPP presidential candidate Peter Mutharika was cruising to victory.

United Democratic Front (UDF) presidential candidate Atupele Muluzi was certain to retain his Machinga North East as was Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera in Lilongwe North West. In Mulanje West, Patricia Kaliati was holding a comfortable lead.

Banda’s Cabinet ministers whose unofficial results show that they will not make it, include Chris Daza in Ntcheu Central, Anita Kalinde in Thyolo North, Ken Kandodo in Kasungu Central, Halima Daud in Dowa South East, Moses Kunkuyu in Dedza South, Jermoth Chilapondwa in Ntchisi South and Cornelius Mwalwanda who was trailing his bitter rival Frank Mwenefumbo in Karonga Central.

Other former ministers that fell in the parliamentary race are Godfrey Kamanya—who shot himself dead on Thursday, Abel Kayembe, Chikumbutso Hiwa, Agnes Chatipwa, Catherine Gotani Hara and Luscious Kanyumba, according to preliminary results.

DPP’s Goodall Gondwe also lost his Mzimba North seat while New Labour Party president Friday Jumbe was also not doing well in Chiradzulu Central and in Zomba City Central DPP’s Yunus Mussa was trailing as well.

While others may face the chop, the Katsonga brothers Mark and Davis, who have performed miserably in the presidential race, have made it back to Parliament, if their comfortable leads in Neno South and Mwanza Central respectively are anything to go by.

Meanwhile, vote counting at Ekwendeni Tally Centre in Mzimba came to a standstill yesterday when losing National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) parliamentary candidate Yeremiah Chihana stormed the centre, demanding an immediate stop to “processing of false results” or face an unspecified disorder.

Chihana, who finished third in his bid to recapture the Mzimba North Constituency he won in 2004 before his countable days in Parliament were terminated by a court case in which he was convicted of assault, said in an interview all he wanted was a recount of the votes. But electoral officials there rebuffed his demands.

Former Mining Minister John Bande, who was the only urban MP to retain his seat in 2009, has fallen to DPP’s Noel Masangwi while former Deputy Speaker Jones Chingola has also been shown the exist.

Former Minister in Bakili Muluzi government, Harry Thomson, has made a surprise comeback on an independent ticket ending Grain Malunga’s five year stint in the august House while Sam Ganda who was dumped by PP and stood as independent has retained Nsanje Lalanje Constituency.

In Ntcheu, the DPP has swept six of the seven constituencies with the other one going to an independent candidate and the trend continued in presidential and ward councillor polls with the party expecting a landslide victory in the district.

In the fiercely contested Ntcheu Central Constituency, heavyweights Chris Daza (3 059 votes), Kandi Padambo (2 228 votes), Chingola (1 680 votes) and John Chikago (4 986) squared up but the vote was won by DDP’s little known Malison Ndau with 14 818.

Other casualties include United Independence Party president Helen Singh, DPP’s Steven Kamwendo and former PP secretary general Henry Chibwana.

—(Additional reporting by James Chavula, Sebastian Nyirenda, John Chirwa, Golden Matonga and Yvonne Sundu).