Malawi's ruling party continues with open voting system in primary elections

Malawi’s ruling People’s Party (PP) is continuing with open voting system in primaries despite the party’s announcement that it would not continue with the system following allegations that some opposition parties’ supporters were taking advantage of it by voting the weak candidate, Maravi Post has established.

A visit to Blantyre rural south west on Sunday where primaries for the party were underway in which the sitting lawmaker Mrs. Juliana Mphande who is also the second deputy speaker of parliament is battling it out with Tariq Bashir Munshi, found that the voting was open to all registered voters as long as they carry voter registration Identity Cards with them.

Boss, if you have ID come and vote. There are two candidates but you should vote for Munshi because Mphande has proved to be good for nothing,” one of the PP officials in the constituency told this reporter at one of the centres.PP’s primary elections were left open to all registered voters in the Centre, North and East.

But at the media conference on Friday, PP officials led by acting Secretary General Paul Maulidi and Vice President for the South Sidik Mia the party announced that the open voting system has been abandoned arguing it was working to the party’s disadvantage as opposition parties’ supporters were mobilizing themselves to vote the weaker candidate.


Souece: Maravi Post