Malawi president leads in pre-election survey

APA-Lilongwe (Malawi)
A United Kingdom (UK)-based research organisation called the Southpole
Data has indicated in its latest opinion poll that Malawi President
Bingu Wa Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party will win the 19
May 2009 presidential and parliamentary Elections by a landslide, APA
learnt here Tuesday.

According
tot the survey conducted in the country recently, Mutharika is leading
other candidates by 83 percent, compared to opposition Malawi Congress
Party (MCP)’s presidential candidate, John Tembo, who has 12 percent
and United Democratic Front (UDF)’s leader, former president Bakili
Muluzi, with only 4.2 percent.

The opinion poll also said that Mutharika\’s DPP will
win at least 118 parliamentary seats, while the MCP will have 33
representatives and the former ruling UDF party will have 25 seats.

The remaining seats will be shared among smaller
parties like the People\’s Progressive Party (PPM), Alliance for
Democracy (Aford), People\’s Transformation Party (Petra), Maravi Party
and independents, the poll indicated.

Mutharika is leading in the pre-election poll because
of his sound leadership towards the revival of the country\’s economy,
health, agriculture and other social developments.

MCP spokesperson Ishmael Chafukira, however, said the poll results were baseless and Malawians cannot believe the findings.

\"We see the results as a mere dream to please a ruling party. They are totally different from what is on the ground,\" he said.