Chakwera scraps nomination fees for MCP elections
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Nyasa Times
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has scrapped nomination fees for all positions contested in the party’s forthcoming internal elections, so that no member is excluded for lack of funds. He announced the decision at a press conference in Lilongwe and called for better representation of women, young people, people with disabilities and older people.
Lazarus Chakwera, president of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), has scrapped nomination fees for all positions contested in the party’s forthcoming internal elections, he announced on Friday 13 November at the MCP headquarters in Lilongwe, according to Nyasa Times. He justified the measure by saying it was intended to prevent members from being unable to participate in the vote because of their financial circumstances.
Chakwera also called for women, young people, people with disabilities and older people to have genuine representation in the internal elections. He called for young people to be given concrete opportunities to participate in decision-making, in line with the African Youth Charter, and for them not to be given titles without being entrusted with leadership powers, Nyasa Times reports.
The MCP president also condemned personal attacks, insults and threats between party members. He asked activists with grievances to use the MCP’s internal structures rather than directly targeting individuals, following reports of attacks against Richard Chimwendo Banda, the party’s secretary general, at a rally this week.
The decision comes after death threats against Richard Chimwendo Banda, reported on 9 November, and as MCP members demanded an emergency convention on 10 November.
