Some political parties in the country have urged civil society organisations (CSOs) to devise plans to manage political tensions that arise with every election.
The parties are concerned that the derogatory remarks being made at political rallies might escalate into violent incidents if not addressed.
United Democratic Front Eastern Region governor Kennedy Kumtenga said it was unfortunate that there had been incidents of political violence in the country which have not been condemned by CSOs.
He made these comments during an interface for political parties organised by the Centre for Civil Society Strengthening (CCSS) in collaboration with Oxfam Malawi, under a project aimed at amplifying women’s voices in elections.
The project is funded by the Embassy of Iceland.
“We do not want to assume that CSOs are taking sides with certain political parties, especially given the violent incidents in Mponela, Mbowe in Lilongwe and recently in the Shire Valley, which have all gone uncondemned by the CSOs. I believe civil society needs to come out clearly and condemn these acts,” Kumtenga said.
His sentiments were echoed by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) deputy regional chairperson for the East, Hassan Chikuta.
Chikuta suggested that CSOs should develop a plan to promote new electoral laws to ensure that politicians found violating provisions of the Political Parties Act are held accountable.
Commenting on women’s participation in the forthcoming elections, Chikuta said MCP had implemented deliberate initiatives to encourage women to compete in the elections.
In her remarks, Project Officer at CCSS, Olipa Mwanza, emphasised that all political parties needed to create a suitable environment for women to compete.
“We do not want women to be insulted at political rallies. We want a campaign period when women are allowed to compete without being favoured or insulted because we believe that women are capable,” she said.
Addressing concerns about violence, Mwanza said CSOs had formal channels to tackle issues concerning the public.
“It is not true that we are unconcerned about political violence; we have our processes to follow once we fully understand the situation.
“People should understand that violence is not acceptable in a democracy,” she said.
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