In an interview DPP's spokesperson, Brown Mpinganjira expressed optimism that the party will retain and also win some new seats in the by-elections.

" As a party, we have intensified campaign and developed effective strategies to enable us to win all our previous seats and probably some ad on in the forthcoming by-elections", he said.

Mpinganjira said: "While we are still rebuilding and restructuring our party, we have managed to come up with candidates who have better chances of winning seats during the elections".

He however maintained that the only challenge that the party is facing is holding the by-elections amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

" We have already made our stand clear regarding the forthcoming by-elections, the current situation is not conducive as we are doing campaign at the same time observing covid-19 prevention protocols and it's not easy to balance the two", he said.

Recently DPP asked MEC to postpone the March 30 by-elections due to the covid-19 pandemic, however, the commission rebuffed the call saying it had received a go-ahead from the presidential taskforce on covid-19 to hold the polls.

MEC will hold by-elections in Nsanje Central, Nsanje North, Chikwawa East, Ntchisi North, Lilongwe Nsinja South, Karonga Northwest, and Zomba Changalume constituencies and in two wards namely Riviridzi Ward in Balaka and Chitakale in Mulanje districts.