Banda was speaking on Saturday at Nasfam ground in Traditional Authority Mbela in Balaka district during a political rally dubbed ‘Kulimbitsa Chipani’.
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According to Banda, governments that have been ruling the country since 2004 have not been prioritizing the interests of Malawians, instead, they serve personal needs, a development he says has contributed to the economic turmoil in the country.
“People in the country are still trusting the United Democratic Front that it has the potential to transform the country to another level. Malawians have now lost trust in the previous governments, including the Tonse Alliance-led government which has failed to fulfill their campaign promises,” said Banda.
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The vice president added that Malawians are sailing through various challenges such as hunger, high rate of youth unemployment, high cost of fertilizers, and high cost of living due to economic meltdown, and the current administration has failed to govern the country to eradicate the challenges.
Banda said Malawians are now remembering the different developments that UDF brought in the country that transformed many Malawians’ lives, and this makes Malawians trust the party’s manifesto, hence officials from other parties are still joining UDF.
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During the rally, UDF welcomed Councilor for Bwaila Ward in Balaka North Constituency Linda Mwapasa who dumped the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a development Banda described as an indication that Malawians still trust UDF, appealing to the party members to be united in the revamping process of the party’s structures ahead of the 2025 tripartite elections.
“We expect to welcome more members who have dumped their respective parties to join our party soon. This is a clear indication that the party is gaining the morale it used to have in previous years, and we believe that come 2025, UDF will get into power again.
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“Unity is the most powerful weapon in the party. Members need to be united so that together we should push the party to the next level because in the previous years, the party has been silent, but this time we will make sure that we raise the bars of victory,” Banda added.
Speaking after being welcomed into the party, Councilor Linda Mwapasa said she dumped the DPP after recommendations from people Bwaila ward.
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“I joined politics as a member of the UDF, but I switched to DPP. After various consultations with the people I serve from Bwaila ward, they recommended to me that I should return to my parent party. I am sure that serving as a UDF Councilor will help me to serve my people better,” said Mwapasa.
She, therefore, appealed for more support from the party so that she should be able to revamp the party in the area.
Founded in 1992, UDF became the first ruling party in a multiparty system, ruling from 1994 to 2004 under Dr. Bakili Muluzi.
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Since then, the party has been struggling to get back into power under Atupele Muluzi, who during the famous 2020 presidential elections rerun formed an alliance with DPP, chosen as a running mate to Arthur Peter Mutharika.
In May this year, Member of Parliament for Mangochi South Liliani Patel was appointed as Acting President of UDF, replacing Atupele Muluzi who quit active politics.