The UTM Party convention that took place in Mzuzu last weekend has taken an unexpected turn as some of the presidential candidates who lost in the presidential contest have expressed dissatisfaction with the election outcome.
Reserve Bank of Malawi former governor Dalitso Kabambe was elected president with an overwhelming 636 votes, surpassing engineer Newton Kambala, who got 26 votes, corporate executive Matthews Mtumbuka, who got 22, and the party’s former secretary general Patricia Kaliati, who got 21 votes.
Kabambe’s victory marked the beginning of his five-year term, filling the shoes of Saulos Chilima, who died while serving as president of the party on June 10 this year.
However, not everyone is pleased with the results as information we have sourced is indicating that Kambala and another aspirant had already notified the Convention Committee of their discontent, and want a meeting to discuss the issue.
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Sources within UTM claimed that Kambala and another candidate feel the election was manipulated and want the committee to hear their grievances.
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When contacted, Kambala referred us to his spokesperson Joseph Chidanti Malunga, who confirmed the development, stating that they were seeking a thorough investigation into the matter before taking further action.
“We will release a statement in due course but what we are doing right now is to compile all the issues that we feel we should bring before the Convention Committee for answers during the roundtable meeting.” Malunga said.
He added that there were some issues with the firm that managed the election as they were not initially informed that it would be Mtendere Elections Support Network who would handle the election.
“We knew them on the voting day; we didn’t know them. Actually, the aspirants were supposed to be notified but we just saw them on the election day. So, we also have issues on that. There are so many irregularities that, if we start discussing them now, we will get tired,” Malunga said.
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When we contacted the other candidate who is reported to be unsatisfied with the outcome, he was unresponsive to inquiries.
When contacted, convention chairperson Lekani Loga asked for more time to get back to us.
“Let me call you,” he said after we presented the matter to him.
But in an interview, Maynard Nyirenda, Chairperson for Mtendere Elections Support Network, which managed the election, said the elections were fair and transparent.
“We had a very robust system to ensure the integrity of the election and it was a very transparent process. There were so many stakeholders around the polling centres looking at what was happening. Even the media was just close looking at whatever was happening,” Nyirenda said.
According to Nyirenda, Mtendere Network is a credible firm which has managed elections for several political parties including the United Democratic Front, which had an elective convention this year.
He, however, stated that during an election, there are always complaints and that the network gives room to complaints.
“You can’t conduct an election without some people complaining about the results; so, we do provide a grievance redress mechanism where those with issues raise their complaints,” he said.
Meanwhile, political analyst Wonder Mkhutche has criticised the candidates for reneging on their initial promise to support whoever won, adding that, still, they need to be heard.
“The claim that the election was rigged lacks a proper basis. Kabambe’s campaign seemed well-organised with campaign messages that convinced the delegates that he could be the right leader for the party.
“The grievances have to be heard and dealt with, but the aggrieved must also understand that the progress of the party is far more important than their ambitions,” Mkhutche said.
