The centre cannot hold—things are indeed falling apart in the once mighty Malawi Congress Party (MCP), as growing cracks within the former ruling party have now burst into the open.
Barely some weeks after being ousted from plot number 1, the former Republic of Malawi leader is now bracing for yet another intriguing battle.
Alex Major, one of the concerned party figures, has written to the MCP president, Lazarus Chakwera, demanding an emergency convention to elect new leadership, claiming that constitutional order within the party has broken down.
In the letter addressed to Chakwera and endorsed by 42 district chairpersons and three regional chairpersons, Major accuses the party leadership of failing to uphold its own constitution. He cites unfulfilled promises, including a mini-convention that was supposed to review the party’s constitution before the end of 2024.
The disgruntled party members insist that since Chakwera lost the September 16, 2025, Presidential Elections to the incumbent Malawi leader, Arthur Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), his position as party president has effectively become vacant, in line with the MCP constitution.
Major and the group are now demanding that a full convention be convened before the end of November 2025 to elect new leadership and “restore internal democracy.”
Quoting the party’s founding values and invoking the legacy of late leaders like Kamuzu Banda, Gwanda Chakuamba, and John Tembo, the Major urges Chakwera to honourably uphold constitutional principles and party tradition.
The move signals a deepening rift within the MCP and could mark the beginning of a fierce internal power struggle as members push to redefine the party’s future after its electoral defeat.
Party insiders say if the leadership fails to act within 14 days, district committees may go ahead and call for the convention themselves, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic showdowns in MCP’s recent history.
