The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has maintained that the party will only hold a convention in 2018 saying those who are calling for an early convention are former district chairpersons.
A faction led by MCP secretary general Gustave Kaliwo has been pressuring the party to hold an early convention.
Some district chairpersons also conducted a press briefing supporting the calls for the convention saying they are not satisfied with the leadership of Lazarus Chakwera.
But in an interview with Malawi24, the party’s spokesperson Eisenhower Mkaka said MCP will only hold a convention in line with the constitution which says a convention shall be held every 5 years.
When calling for the convention, Kaliwo cited Article 40 of the MCP constitution which says an emergency convention can only be called if the party’s national executive committee resolves by two thirds of its membership, or at the request of half the number of the district committees.
But Mkaka said the section of the constitution Kaliwo used shows that it is only National Executive committee (NEC) that has the mandate to call for a convention.
“The emergency convention first appears in article 39(b) and in article 39(b) and in 39 it is very clear that it is NEC that has the mandate.
“Section 40 gives one of the modes of calling for an emergency convention as a request from half the number of political district committees. That request goes to NEC for a resolution to call for the emergency convention,” he said.
Mkaka also parried away suggestions that there are divisions in the party.
“MCP is intact, if you check most of those being paraded are former district chairpersons and office bearers,” said Mkaka.
He added that according to a court order dated 29th September, 2016, the chairpersons have no sufficient interest in the matter they are advocating for.
Mkaka accused Kaliwo and the district chairpersons agitating for a convention of being funded by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“The former district chairpersons have been receiving money between K20,000 and 40,000 besides being transported, fed and accommodated,” he said.
waluzanso chakwera.
NDIKAIMA NAWO
Follow the constitution of ur party if not majority if the party has got no constitution then u will know the right time for convention and silence ‘ll be
The party was Mcp when Mbu ya and Yaya meant to be brothers from the same mother now Mcp doesn’t exisit in our blood
Osawononga chipani chathu inu amene mufuna usogoleli ngati sudikila 2018 yamba chako
YA 2018 not mbuzi zina zikuganizila
By 2018, Chakwera’s MCP could have 50-70% of it’s members as formers & Chakwera wants the next intake to be held captive by the Party’s 4 Corner Stone & with no say as has been since 1964.
zowona ndipo ndikufuna ndiauze amene ankhara akunena kuti mcp ndi ya kupha zimenezo zinari zakare mcp iyiyi siyokupha ayi chakwera 2019 boma
Let them get lost
tima chairperson timeneti tinaluza ma election,timaziwona ngati ta muyaya.khalidwe la mcp ya kale limeneri
Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk hahahahahahahahahahaha hohohho hohohoho
Exactly