North primaries give PP hope
The ruling People’s Party has said its primary elections taking place in the Northern Region have given the party hope that it is prepared for the 2014 Tripartite Elections as candidates are facing stiff competition.
The party has so far identified candidates for Nkhata Bay South East, Nkhata Bay Central, Nkhata Bay North, Nkhata Bay West, Mzuzu City, Karonga Central and Mzimba North East.
Unlike the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) where most candidates were going unopposed, the PP candidates are facing stiff competition.
PP acting secretary general Paul Maulidi said Nkhata Bay South East has been claimed by Noah Chimpeni, Nkhata Bay Central by lawyer Ralph Mhone, Nkhata Bay North by incumbent member of Parliament (MP) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs Ephraim Mganda Chiume.
He said Nkhata Bay West will be represented by Mercy Kaunda whereas Mzuzu City Constituency’s PP candidate will be Bennex Mwamulima, Karonga Central by Cornelius Mwalwanda (Deputy Minister of Finance) and Mzimba North East by Catherine Gotani Hara (Minister of Health).
Maulidi said the competition in the primaries is giving the party confidence that it is strong and most people want to make it to Parliament through the party.
He said: “The competition is a very good sign for us and it has shown that the party is very strong, especially here in the Northern Region where a number of people are expressing interest to contest on the party ticket.”
By the time we went to press, officials were still counting the votes for Nkhata Bay South where incumbent MP Professor Eta Banda faced PP director of campaign Ken Zikhale Ng’oma.
One of the closely contested races was in Karonga Central Constituency where, in the run-up to the primaries there were clashes between supporters of incumbent MP Mwalwanda and his predecessor Frank Mwenefumbo, Mwalwanda edged Mwenefumbo.
Mwenefumbo, who is PP Northern Region provincial chairperson, conceded defeat and pledged to support Mwalwanda.
He, however, claimed his supporters were being intimidated and most of them did not vote for him.
In Rumphi East Constituency, former Malawi Democratic Party president Kamlepo Kalua defeated PP deputy spokesperson Ken Msonda and former TV presenter Saulos Thindwa, according to Kalua.
