Written by Malawi News Agency
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary general (SG) Greselder Jeffrey wa Jeffrey has said no one, even the most loyal members, will represent it in the 2019 Tripartite Elections without going through primary elections scheduled to start on October 8, 2018.
Jeffrey said this Friday during a media briefing in Lilongwe a head of the party’s primary elections in northern region districts.
She said the Party’s’ National Governing Council (NGC) agreed thats its supporters should democratically choose their representatives..
“The party will not shield or favour any one whether is a Minister, Member of Parliament (MP) regional governor or Member of NGC during the primary elections,” Jeffrey pointed out.
“We want the people, our supporters to choose for themselves, even in my constituency, we will have primary elections. No leader in DPP will influence the outcome of primary elections,” she said.
She said if the party is to succeed in the 2019 elections it must accept the will of the people and that it would ensure that the primary elections are conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner.
Jeffrey disclosed that DPP would start phase 1 of their primary elections in the northern region districts in constituencies that are not for the party.
“We have made such arrangements after seeing that most constituencies which belong to us our MPs are preoccupied with national duties. For us not to waste more time in waiting we have decided to start with wards and constituencies which are not currently ours,” she revealed.
DPP Director of Elections, Ben Phiri said every candidate for the ward and constituency has been provided with Electoral College before the primary elections.
He said this has been done to avoid disputing results and out of the primary elections unlike what has been happening to other political parties in the country.
Phiri believes that with proper management of primary elections, the party would come out with right candidates to represent them on the polling day.
“DPP primary elections will be the most transparent ever. The voting of the candidates will be done on the ward level not the constituency as it has been the case with other primaries by other political parties in the country,” Phiri added.
DPP primary elections are scheduled to start in selected districts of northern region and Members of NGC drawn from southern, eastern and central regions are to conduct the primaries.
