The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is drawing heavy criticism after controversially declaring Damson Chelewani the winner of the Mulanje central primary elections, despite allegations of vote tampering and unresolved complaints.
In a letter dated 18th May 2025, signed by DPP Director of Elections Jean Mathanga, the party announced that its internal dispute resolution Committee had found no evidence of violence, intimidation, or misconduct—thereby affirming Damson Chelewani as the duly elected winner.
The situation escalated when two senior DPP officials in the District, Elizabeth John and Vasco Mondiwa, resigned from their positions.
They said: “We haven’t been told the criteria which they used to choose the winner. It seems the party leadership was mainly interested in endorsing a prearranged result than upholding a fair and democratic process.”
In a joint letter, the duo criticized the party for ignoring their concerns about the irregularities in the elections and the legitimacy of Chelewani’s victory.
“We cannot be part of a process that tramples on internal democracy and silencing the voices of its members,” they wrote.
Critics, however, have condemned the process for its lack of transparency, with some calling it a “Kangaroo Court.”
Some aspirants, including Rhoda Gadama Misomali formally wrote the party, expressing doubts about the election’s credibility, leading the DPP to hold a meeting on May 16 to look into the matter.
However, the frustrated aspirants faulted the party for failing to disclose how votes were counted—or whether they were even counted at all—further raising serious questions about the legitimacy of the entire process.
One of the disgruntled aspirants said:
“The “Kangaroo court” failed to address the substantive issues raised in writing by the aspirants, instead, it appeared to follow a well-orchestrated scheme in which Chelewani was permitted to present manipulated video evidence with unverifiable timelines,”
“Moreover, the presiding officers—whose input was essential for transparency were not invited to the meeting. Other aspirants were also denied the opportunity to submit their evidence. The entire process was rushed, further raising serious questions about the credibility and fairness of the elections.”
Critics are now urging the party to revisit the dispute with transparency and ensure that internal elections reflect the will of the people, not the interests of a privileged few.
Efforts to speak to both the party’s Spokesperson, Shadric Namalomba and Mathanga proved futile as their mobile phones went unanswered on several attempts.
