DPP's presidential candidate Dr Bingu wa Mutharika has aknowledged that his main challenger in the May 19 polls next week is Malawi Congress Party's leader John Tembo.  He said that Tembo is the only challenger describing  the other five presidential candidates as mere escorts.

Mutharika was speaking this morning in Area 25 Lilongwe during a whistle stop tour in the City of Lilongwe. An estimated five thousand people thronged the Area 25 A Market point.

The Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate pointed out that he would emerge winner because of his development record in the last five years.

He however admitted that Area 25 has bad road network but asked the electorate to vote for him and his party into power so that he can utilise the next five years to develop the roads.

About an hour later, the Lilongwe Old Town came to a stand still as Mutharika stopped at the main robots of the Old Town's banking centre where he addressed the people.

Among others Mutharika also promised to improve the education for girls in particular through construction of girls' hostels and introducing adult education.

On Lilongwe as capital city, the president argued that the city has seen some development since his move from Blantyre in 2004. He argued that in any country, the head of state lives in the capital city.

A taxi driver (Nyanda) said that "though the whistle stop tour was an inconvinience to the traffic in town, Bingu seems to have a very well organised campaign strategy." He was commenting on the mobile video film in which former president Bakili Muluzi is featured as highlighting the ills of Mr John Tembo who now heads the UDF/MCP coalition. The film is played as a curtain raiser during Mutharika's rallies.

He notably spoke in a mixture of English and Chichewa most of the time as he addressed the people while at the centre stop. This was possibly to take advantage of the working class and tourists that were plying the area.

AEP/VK