Peoples Party to hold polls at the end of August

The ruling Peoples Party (PP) has disclosed that it will go to the polls on August 27 2012 to elect executive committee members at a conference to be held in Blantyre. The party has disclosed that its president, Mrs. Joyce Banda will first make an opening address at the conference whose theme is ‘A better Malawi is possible’ before secretary general Henry Chibwana brings up his report. The party has further disclosed there will also be a treasurer general’s report; adoption of the party’s constitution before the elections rolls out. “Candidates who wish to contest in any position are requested to obtain an application form from the provincial offices in the Southern, Eastern, Central or Northern regions. “And duly signed forms are to be submitted to the national secretariat in Blantyre or to the national director of legal service affairs in Lilongwe seven days before the convention date,” said party publicity secretary Steven Mwenye.

Delegates expected to the convection include the current national executive members, provincial committee members, chairmen, secretaries, treasurers, organizing secretaries and campaign directors of the main body, women wing and the young patriots’ wing of all the political districts. The party is also expecting members of parliament, cabinet ministers and their deputies to attend the convection. The Peoples Party was founded by Mrs. Joyce Banda last year after she fell out of grace with the then ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Mrs. Banda appointed Mr. Khumbo Hastings Kachale vice state president when she ascended to power in April this year. The party came into the government after the death of professor Bingu wa Mutharika who died of cardiac arrest on April 5 2012.

President Joyce is not new in the political circles. When she was in the United Democratic Front (UDF) she served in both government as a minister and also a parliamentarian in Zomba. When the late professor Mutharika dumped the UDF in 2005 to form his DPP Mrs. Banda joined him to the DPP. In 2009, Mutharika received rare kudos after he had appointed her as running mate in the elections that the DPP won with a land slide victory and at the same time opening a new chapter in Malawi of having the first female to become vice state president. Currently Mrs. Banda is the first female president not only in Malawi but in the Sadc region too.