By Vincent Gunde
Mulanje South Legislator Dr. George Chaponda, says things are slowly moving faster in politics especially in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) claiming that some people are making deliberate efforts to distort information and destabilize the DPP following resignation of Dr. Kondwani Nankhumwa.
There have been social media reports that there is in fighting amongst senior members of the DPP on who will be the rightful heir to the thrown of Leader of Opposition after Nankhumwa announced to the general public that he has resigned as Leader of Opposition.
Social media eyes were on two DPP senior members Dr. George Chaponda and newly DPP appointed Leader of Opposition Mary Thom Navicha claiming that the DPP will find it tough to settle for one between these two for the position of Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
Writing on his official face book page, Dr. George Chaponda says now that Kondwani Nankhumwa withdrew the cases against the DPP and resigned as DPP leader of Opposition, the injunction against the election of him as Leader of Opposition is vacated, meaning that he is Leader of Opposition.
Chaponda says Parliamentary Standing Orders Section 35(1) states that “The Leader of Opposition shall be ELECTED by the party not in government having the greatest numerical strength in Parliament at any point in time and officially announced as such,” end of quote.
He says on Wednesday, 26th January, 2022 DPP Members of Parliament elected Dr. George Chaponda at the event that took place at the Page House in Mangochi which some MPs did not attend, one being Mary Thom Navicha because she was supporting Kondwani Nankhumwa.
The Parliamentarian says Parliamentary Standing Order Section 35(1) is very clear, Leader of Opposition is ELECTED, it is not APPOINTMENT like what the DPP did with Mary Thom Navicha dismissing social media reports that the DPP settled for Navicha as its Leader of Opposition.
“The DPP proceeded to inform the Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani-Hara of the results of the election that he is Leader of Opposition,” reads part of Chaponda’s writing on the wall.
He says Kondwani Nankhumwa and 22 other Members of Parliament stopped the announcement of the Speaker Catherine Gotani-Hara through a court injunction against the election of him as Leader of Opposition, an injunction the DPP struggled to vacate.
Chaponda has reminded Malawians that Speaker of Parliament was still recognizing Kondwani Nankhumwa as Leader of Opposition up to the date of his resignation saying if the Speaker does not declare him as Leader of Opposition, these are matters of the law, the DPP should elect him again as they did in 2022.
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