While results of yesterday’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Malawi continue coming in from different tally stations across the country, interesting developments are happening, including the fall of influential politicians in the highly contested fight for seats in Parliament.
After going through political wrangles and scandals of rigging during party primary elections, it has all come up to an end for some of the big heads that were involved in such malpractice as they no longer have a place in the National Assembly.
Influential politicians that have faced the chop are those that were MPs in the previous House which was dissolved in readiness for the recently conducted polls.
The denied parliamentary hopefuls came from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of President Bingu wa Mutharika, the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) of John Tembo, the United Democratic Front (UDF) party of former President Bakili Muluzi, as well as influential independents.
They also include members of the cabinet that was recently dissolved by President Mutharika as per the country’s constitution, which clearly gives power to the state leader to dissolve the cabinet prior to the general elections.
So far, some of the casualties from the government side include former ministers Davis Katsonga who has lost to his adversary Nicholas Dausi, Ted Kalebe, Rashid Gaffar, Roy Commsy, Frank Mwenifumbo, Anna Kachikho, and Ellock Maotcha-Banda; state President’s political advisor Hetherwick Ntaba, DPP regional governor for the center Binton Kuntsaira and ex- Blantyre City Central MP Jimmy Banda.
At the moment, MCP hopefuls that have lost include secretary general Chris Daza, former Speaker of the National Assembly Louis Chimango, Joseph Njobvuyalema and Nancy Tembo.
From the opposition UDF there is George Nga Ntafu, Friday Jumbe, Humphrey Mvula, Leonard Mangulama, Clement Stambuli, Kennedy Makwangwala, Harry Thomson, Lillian Patel who has lost to renowned businessman and the party’s member Yusuf Matumula, Philip Bwanali and the outspoken Gerald Mponda.
In the southern district of Nsanje, veteran politician and former cabinet minister Gwanda Chakuamba of the New Republican Party, together with former first deputy Speaker Ester Mcheka-Nkhoma, an independent, have also lost.
Other candidates that have lost include People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) president Mark Katsonga, independent candidate for Thyolo Central Bob Khamisa and New Rainbow Coalition (Narc)’s Yeremiya Chihana and former member of Mutharika’s cabinet Richard Msowoya, who was deputy minister of higher education but resigned from the post.
Meanwhile, political analysts have described the big guns’ loss as a lesson because most of them were taking their constituents for granted.
“Politics is about numbers and delivery. It’s the communities that make decisions in politics so if these so-called gurus have lost, it means the people were fed-up with them,” said Cecilia Mussa, a human rights advocate and executive director for Gender Support Programme (GESP).
