UPND Waives 2 Year Membership Requirement To Stand On Party Ticket

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has waived the requirement for candidates intending to stand as member of parliament, mayor, council chairperson or councillor to have been a member of the party for at least two years. 

Speaking to the media on Sunday, UPND spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said the party was doing away with the time requirements in order to allow for a wider pool of aspiring candidates to realise their political ambitions. 

The news comes following a decision by the UPND to extend the application period for aspiring electoral candidates until 2nd April. Mr Mweetwa said that since the decision was announced, the party has received an overwhelming number of applications, with an average of four potential candidates for each constituency. 

He said the decision was an indication of the party’s growth, adding that the UPND had “become of age to take the reins of governance!” 

Mr Mweetwa, currently the member of parliament for Choma Central constituency, recently announced that he would not be contesting his seat in the upcoming general elections this august, in order to allow other up and coming politicians the chance to shine.

The UPND spokesperson told ZNBC that he wanted to leave room for younger candidates to rise through the party ranks but that he would remain focussed on campaigning efforts for the general election.