Progressive Party Movement (PPM) leader, Mark Katsonga, today has submitted his nomination forms for the May elections in which he has registered his intention to contest as a Presidential candidate.

Katsonga has picked up veteran PPM member Prof. Jacob Mbungi as his running mate.

Speaking after submitting his papers, Katsonga said that it was a special day not just because he had submitted his papers but because it was a day that symbolically marked that Malawi was breaking free from its prison of poverty.

“If you may know today is the day that former South African President, Nelson Mandela, got out of prison,” said Katsonga to his cheering supporters. “It also is the day that my running mate was born. So, today symbolically is the day that Malawians have been given the choice to get out of poverty that has yoked us for fifty years.”

Before taking his seat to pave way for the MEC chair, Katsonga said that as well he was not in for the idea of oil exploration on Lake Malawi as well as tribalism being practiced in Malawi.

Katsonga as well asked Malawians to respect the outcome of the elections and not engage in violence if not satisfied with the results of the elections.

Since its founding in 2003, this is the first election that PPM is fielding a Presidential candidate as it has always entered into alliances with other parties.