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Aford’s alleged bid to field a running mate to United Democratic Front’s presidential candidate Bingu Mutharika under a coalition arrangement in next year’s elections cannot succeed because of several mitigating factors, a top lawyer said yesterday.
Secretary for Law Society of Malawi Charles Mhango in an interview said one of Chihana’s major weaknesses is lack of a strong political base compared to Chilumpha, UDF’s running mate to Mutharika.
“The UDF would have to bargain on whether to lose the Central Region and the Muslim faith for Chihana and the Northern Region,” Mhango said.
He also said it would be constitutionally untenable for the UDF to have Chihana as running mate “because the party would be forced to give away the second vice presidency to a third party other than UDF and Aford”.
The Constitution, Mhango said, does not allow the president and his second vice president to come from one party.
In an interview on Monday, UDF publicity secretary Ken Lipenga said Aford’s president Chakufwa Chihana is to be considered for a high ranking position in the ruling United Democratic Front/Aford coalition but not likely as running mate to Bingu Mutharika.
“Being a party president he would be considered for a senior position within the coalition arrangement,” Lipenga said.
He said while Aford has every right to table any issues related to the coalition including seeking various positions, the position of the UDF regarding presidential running mate in next year’s elections is a closed chapter.
“We have already indicated who our running mate is and there’s no secret about it. Even the Aford leadership knows that the UDF position is very clear on this issue.
“We cannot have two running mates and it is not the only senior position within the arrangement,” Lipenga said.
During the just ended convention Aford only endorsed Mutharika as UDF presidential candidate in next year’s elections.
“It was an Aford convention. There was no need for them to mention a UDF running mate. And it did not come as a surprise to us,” he said.
The Alliance for Democracy (Aford) has said it has not endorsed Chilumpha because running mates are not voted in by the electorate.
“People do not vote for a running mate. They vote for the presidential candidate,” secretary general Wallace Chiume said on Tuesday.
Sources close to current coalition talks between the two parties say Aford is negotiating to nominate a candidate as Mutharika’s running mate in next year’s elections.
But Chiume said: “I cannot disclose matters of the technical committee. We cannot even disclose what is on the agenda until the two parties sign a memorandum of understanding. But there are quite a few issues to sort out so that we approach next year’s elections with a common agenda”.
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