Tripartite elections bill now or never—Opposition

Opposition political parties in the country say they want the tripartite elections bill to be tabled and passed during the forthcoming parliamentary sitting, beginning Monday.

In separate interviews Friday, officials from Democratic Progressive Party, Malawi Congress Party and United Democratic Front said they expect nothing short of passing of the long-standing bill during the next parliamentary meeting.

If what the country’s major political leaders are saying is anything to go by, then this issue of the Tripartite Elections bill is likely to dominate the deliberations.

“We expect government to bring the tripartite elections bill during this sitting of parliament. People in the country have been waiting for these local polls for so long, and I believe the bill will be among the crucial bills to be presented,” Mahamudu Lali, United Democratic Front Spokesperson on parliamentary affairs said.

“We can’t be talking about the same time and again,” said Lali.

Malawi Congress Party Spokesperson for Parliamentary affairs, Jolly Kalero said in a separate interview MCP wants the tripartite bill to be among the issues to be discussed.

Said Kalero, “people are anxious to know whether these local polls will be held or not after so many postponements since 2005. Government should bring this bill,”

The former ruling Democratic Progressive Party has also joined in the clarion call for the tripartite elections bill to be tabled and passed.

Apart from lawmakers, NGO’s and the general populace have been calling for the tripartite elections in 2014.

Government has been saying the tripartite elections bill will be tabled during the forthcoming parliamentary sitting.

The Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee presented a report on its findings on the tripartite elections during the last parliamentary sitting.

But the lawmakers did not discuss the bill.