President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera on Thursday hit the final nail on the coffin that he would accept to contest for the September, 2025 elections as Malawi Congress Party (MCP) torchbearer if the party’s elective conference slated for August, 2024 endorses his candidature.
In what was started with Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani-Hara that President Chakwera will rule Malawi to 2030 and Members of Parliament adding the same sentiments with the party’s National Executive putting Chakwera’s signature to pen, Chakwera will run unopposed in the elective conference.
President Chakwera made it clear that the Republican Constitution is allowing him to run for a second-term in office, the president’s announcement has sent warning shots to the main Alliance partner-the United Transformation Movement (UTM) to go back to the drawing board.
In one of the audio clips circulated in various social media platforms, a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) member campaigning for the Vice President Dr. Saulosi Chilima Dr. Samuel Lwala said Dr. Chilima cannot comment anything regarding Chakwera’s candidature for 2025 elections.
Lwala said the UTM is still in working Alliance with the MCP to 2030 unless the MCP dissolve the marriage between these two parties in line with the agreement signed before millions of Malawians that witnessed the birth of the Alliance in 2020.
He said the UTM will wait for an official document from the MCP that their marriage is over and this will be the time for Dr. Chilima to stand up and address the nation on the way forward reminding all that the electoral Alliance was signed in a unity of purpose to defeat the DPP from power.
“Had it been that there was no electoral Alliance between MCP and UTM, DPP would have been in government but the Alliance played a part,” said Lwala.
On his part, a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has advised the MCP not to deceive itself that millions of Malawians are supporting it convinced with the huge gatherings of people attending its rallies.
Kamphangala said MCP should thank the UTM for helping it to win the 2020 Presidential elections after staying in the opposition for 31 years and should not think that UTM through its leader Dr. Saulosi Chilima are fools to accept that Chakwera became the torchbearer while Chilima, the running mate.
He has asked the MCP to tread the matter of the Alliance with care warning it that Chilima holds the key to destroy the MCP and its leader President Chakwera saying this will make Malawians including MCP members not to trust Chakwera anymore.
On the Constitution allowing Chakwera to stand in the elections, Kamphangala said Chakwera has the right to stand in the elections but this is against the MCP constitution having stood twice in 2014 and 2019 and this time around, he needs to sit down to pave way for others to govern Malawi.
He said according to the MCP Constitution, the law is baring Chakwera from standing only if the Constitution of the party is changed to allow him stand, and without this President Chakwera will contest for the elections illegally on the MCP ticket.
Samuel is not a member of the Mighty Malawi Congress Party