Parties speak on electoral alliances
Former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has ruled out the possibility of going into an electoral alliance with other political parties in the 2014 Tripartite Elections.
DPP secretary general Jean Kalilani said in a brief interview on Monday there were no plans she is aware of regarding an alliance.
Kalilani, responding to an inquiry from The Nation on whether the party is considering to team up with others in the election, could not give more details and referred the issue to DPP spokesperson Nicholas Dausi who said currently, the former ruling party’s major task ahead of the elections is to beef up its structures.
With elections set for May 20 2014, political parties are busy strategising and positioning themselves by, among other things, electing leaders through conventions. So far, DPP, the United Democratic Front (UDF), the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), People’s Party (PP) and the Alliance for Democracy (Aford) have held their conventions.
On alliances, MCP, which in the 2009 elections teamed up with UDF, on Monday said it is not ready to think about alliances as the consolidation programme is still under way.
Said MCP secretary general Chris Daza: “As a party, our best thing is to consolidate the party. Issues of alliances will come later because we need to strengthen first and that is what we are currently doing.”
UDF publicity secretary Ken Ndanga also said his party is still on a rebuilding exercise which started after the convention.
However, ruling PP spokesperson Hophmally Makande said his party has already taken a stand on alliance, but was not ready to reveal the position.
A political analyst has said electoral alliances will be inevitable as the country approaches the 2014 elections.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Mustafa Hussein, a political commentator based at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College in Zomba, noted that political parties cannot avoid alliances, especially in regions where they are saturated.
In the 2009 elections, DPP rewrote the country’s multiparty political history by sweeping the majority of seats in Parliament with representation across the country, including areas deemed strongholds of other political parties.
