Antony Tony Ngalande (independent) has won the parliamentary race with a massive landslide in Balaka North, displacing former legislator and national campaign director for UTM Lucius Banda.
The race to the august house in the constituency was highly contested with 7 candidates vying for the top job.
However, at the end of it all, Ngalande has secured himself a ticket to parliament.
In the official communication by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson justice Dr. Jane Ansah SC, Ngalande was declared winner after amassing a whopping 15080 votes.
His main rival in the race, Lucius Banda only managed to get a meagre 2636 votes.
It has also been discovered that the aggregate votes cast for the other six candidates could not even surpass Ngalande’s total.
Other aspiring candidates in the race included Fletcher Luka Padoko (independent) who came second with 5075 votes, Francis Berson Mangadzuwa of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) got 3908 votes, Ibrahim Amin Daud (independent) got 1128 votes, Stern Bakali of the United Democratic Front (UDF) amassed 1078 votes while Andwatch Mambo of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) anchored the list with 363 votes.
In an exclusive interview with this publication, Ngalande was the happiest man on earth and could not hide his excitement on his victory.
“I thank God and the people of Balaka North for entrusting me to lead them in parliament for the next five years,” a visibly ecstatic Ngalande explained.
The parliamentarian elect said despite facing a stiff competition, he was excited that people of Balaka North have given him a nod to be their representative in parliament.
“The campaign was not easy at all. I have endured insults and propaganda from my contenders. Nonetheless, I am glad that at the end people have chosen me because of my development centred manifesto,” he said.
Ngalande has since pledged to fulfill his promises articulated in his manifesto and to serve the constituents with zeal and dedication.
Meanwhile, his predecessor Lucius Banda fondly known as ‘Soldier’ in the music circles has conceded defeat after failing to guard his seat.
Surprisingly though, the out-going lawmaker has not yet issued any congratulatory remarks to his successor on his ascendancy to the position.
The Malawi Parliament has 193 seats and Balaka district has four constituencies.
