UDF Sets October Convention for Leadership Vote
The two-day event will focus on “Towards Unity, Renewal, and Socioeconomic Transformation.”
BLANTYRE, Malawi— The United Democratic Party (UDF) will hold its elective convention Oct. 2-3 at the COMESA Hall in Blantyre, the party announced Monday, writes Steven Godfrey Mkweteza.
The two-day event will focus on “Towards Unity, Renewal, and Socioeconomic Transformation.”
Aisha Mambo, the national convention chairperson, said the party is expecting 1,200 delegates and other guests.
The convention, estimated to cost 140 million kwacha, will be funded through membership contributions and donations from well-wishers.
“We are expecting to raise funds for the convention from our membership contributions and other well-wishers,” Mambo said.
Mambo said the UDF has increased youth and women’s participation in the elections to 50%.
Nomination fees for presidential candidates are set at 1 million kwacha, while other positions will cost between K750,000 and K250,000 depending on the position.
Mambo noted the party constitution requires that candidates for president and secretary-general have been UDF members for at least five years.
“We do this just to bring sanity and not to deter the aspirants who have not been members for less than five years,” she said.
“We are democratic. But we have learned lessons of the past with the new aspirants some of them ended up selling or destroying the party.”
Nominations fees are being collected and will close on Sept. 10, Mambo said. So far, only Atupele Muluzi has expressed interest in contesting for the party president position.
Mambo also addressed rumours of an electoral alliance with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
She said the newly elected UDF leaders will decide on any electoral alliances.