United Democratic Front (UDF) has said its alliance with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ended because it was an electoral pact.
According to sources, Muluzi is currently flirting with the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and has since been promised with a ministerial position during the next cabinet in-take.
UDF secretary general Kandi Padambo commenting on some members of the party who attended a rally organised by DPP vice president (South) Kondwani Nankhumwa in Blantyre, said the members were exercising their freedom of association.
Padambo clarified that the alliance was about the fresh presidential elections and that now that they are gone, there was no need to maintain the relationship.
“Of course we have a common denominator which is that both parties are in opposition so we still relate with each other very well,” he said.
Padambo said as a party, they do not have problems with ordinary UDF members attending DPP public rallies “after all we are both opposition parties.”
He said:“UDF members are free to attend political rallies even if Brown Mpinganjira of DPP holds a rally some people can attend in their own right. But as a party, we are done with the electoral alliance.”
The DPP and UDF working partnership goes back to Mutharika’s five-year term from May 2014. The two parties went into a working arrangement to guarantee votes in the National Assembly and support the government’s legislative agenda.
In that period, Muluzi held numerous ministerial positions. But in their arrangement pertaining to the fresh presidential election, Mutharika appointed three UDF members into various Cabinet positions, including Muluzi himself.
Currently, Mutharika is facing calls for an early convention to elect his successor after his defeat in the June 23 election. However, the former president has not taken lightly the calls and purging “renewal” faction which includes Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa, secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey, treasurer general Jappie Mhango and other members.
The development has led to formation of two factions with one being referred as DPP-Mutharika and the other DPP-Nankhumwa.
