Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has announced that people who are interested in positions can start collecting nomination forms, ahead of the party’s convention later this year.
The convention is slated for August 7 and 8 at a yet-to-be-announced venue, where delegates are expected to endorse National Executive Committee (Nec) recommendations and elect leaders.
Convention chairperson Kezzie Msukwa said the forms would soon be made available to regional offices.
“Preparations for the convention are at an advanced level.
“The nomination forms can be collected at no free but when submitting them, we are asking for a small fee. We are doing this not to bar others from contesting for any position but we just want people to contribute towards the convention [budget],” Msukwa said.
He added that the party would be holding fundraising activities to raise resources to go towards the holding of the indaba.
Meanwhile, Mzuzu University-based historian and political analyst Chrispin Mphande has cautioned against some political parties’ tendency of imposing exorbitant nomination fees on those interested in holding positions.
He said when nomination fees are on the higher side, resource constrained people may fail to vie for positions.
“This is a good idea although it is coming at a time the party wants only those who have served for two years or more to compete for positions at the convention. If not properly looked into, the issue can result in the sprouting on break-away groups—which may be detrimental to political parties,” Mphande said.
President Lazarus Chakwera recently said he would represent the party in the 2025 presidential election if delegates give him the nod at the MCP convention.
This came after the MCP Nec endorsed Chakwera as the oldest political party’s torchbearer.
