New debate format sidelines other parties
Some political parties have cried foul over the new format for presidential debates which says only parties fielding parliamentary candidates in not less than 10 percent of the 193 constituencies will take part in the remaining two sessions.
Presidential candidate for New Labour Party (NLP), Friday Jumbe has described the organisers of the debates as unfair, biased and undemocratic.
He said the development means the organisers have their preferred candidate who did not do well in the first round of the presidential debates and they (the organisers) are afraid that if the others continue to take part in the debates, their candidate will be frustrated.
George Nnensa, president for the Malawi Forum for Development (Mafunde) who is leading the Tisintha Alliance and missed the first round of the debates due to logistical problems, said he is surprised by the move taken by the organisers.
Said Nnensa: “We have not received communication yet, but I am surprised to hear of this. This is unfair to Malawians as it is not only a particular party’s supporters who listen to the debates but all Malawians who need to make an informed decision during the May 20 Tripartite Elections.
“The organisers should have made the rules clear at the beginning and not changing midway when people have planned to listen to how various presidential candidates are going to deal with problems the country is facing.”
He said the debates are not costing the organisers anything, but rather it is the parties who are spending much as they are supposed to provide logistics for their followers to attend the presidential debates.
The Presidential Debates Task force, through its chairperson Anthony Kasunda, has issued a press statement indicating that the second presidential debate to be held next Tuesday at Bingu International Conference Centre (Bicc) will be limited to political parties fielding parliamentary candidates in not less than 10 percent of the 193 constituencies.
“The same criteria will be used for the third debate scheduled for Victoria Hotel in Blantyre on May 6,” reads the press release.
The organisers’ decision means that only six parties will be eligible to participate in the remaining debates as Umodzi Party, United Independence Party, Chipani Cha Pfuko (CCP), Petra are fielding less than the required amount of parliamentary candidates in the elections.
The first round of the presidential debates took place on Tuesday, April 22 at BICC in Lilongwe and only eight candidates out of the expected 12 participated in the debates. Conspicuously missing were governing People’s Party candidate President Joyce Banda, Democratic Progressive Party torchbearer Peter Mutharika, Nnensa and CCP’s Davis Katsonga.
