Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Candidate for Mzuzu City Constituency Bennex Mwamlima has appealed for tolerance among political parties ahead of the official campaign period which the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is scheduled to open on March 19.
Mwamlima made the appeal after presenting his nomination papers to MEC officials at Mzuzu City Council on Friday.
“Violence does not profit anyone. So, I would like to ask all members of different political parties to be tolerant to each other. As for me, I do not condone any violence. Some people say politics is a dirty game but that is not true, it is the people entering politics who are dirty,” Mwamlima said.
The MCP candidate said that once he is voted into office, he will work well with councillors to ensure that sustainable development trickles to all residents of Mzuzu.
“The main problem why councillors and MPs have sour relationships is simply because they do not divide our duties, we do not know our duties. My main duty is to represent my Constituency in Parliament and to lobby resources for the Constituency from within and outside,” Mwamlima said.
MCP Chairman for the North-South Region Gracious Mafeni Soko affirmed MCP’s readiness to govern the country and the city of Mzuzu after the May 21 polls.
“Malawi Congress Party is very ready to govern this country under the leadership of Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and at the same time, MCP is ready to govern Mzuzu City Constituency under Bennex Mwamlima and MCP is ready to govern all the Wards here in Mzuzu City to ensure that there is meaningful development,” Soko said.
Mwamlima is expected to face stiff completion from nine other candidates including the incumbent Leonard Njikho of the United Transformation Movement (UTM).
Other challengers are Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Kenneth Sanga, Alliance for Democracy (AFORD)’s Mercy Mbezuma Mfune, United Democratic Front’s Ibrahim Swanki, Justice Chimaliro of the Peoples Party and independent aspirants such as the Mzuzu City Mayor William Mkandawire and his Deputy Alexander Mwakikunga among others.
Meanwhile, data at MEC shows that only MCP, DPP and UTM have councillors who have submitted nomination forms to contest in the Local Government Elections in all 15 wards.
Malawi Government has come under fire, in recent weeks, for failing to contain rising incidences of political violence targeting opposition political parties. But the Government has assured electoral stakeholders that it is taking a zero tolerance approach to political violence.
Malawi goes to the polls on 21 May 2019 in the Country’s second Tripartite Elections.
