POLITICAL SCENES ,PRE-2025 ELECTIONS

 

As the build up to the 2025 General elections continues , alot has been happening on the political scene with alot of hostilities and wrangles happening internally amongst major political parties in the country . We take a look at how the political scene in the country is looking like ahead of the upcoming 2025 General elections.

Prior to the 2020 re-run elections , a series of Political parties namely Malawi Congress Party (MCP) , United transformation Movement (UTM) ,Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) , Peoples Party (PP) , Umodzi party and Freedom party ventured into an alliance called the TONSE Alliance which managed to defeat the then ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Three years in that alliance , a series of events have happened with the Catholic Church officials in 2021 calling it a party no longer carrying the hopes of the citizens of Malawi and called for "decisive leadership " . In a statement issued by the Catholic commission for justice and peace (CCJP) of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) in 2021 , the Catholic Church officials said that the then one-year-old administration had lost direction and that the hopes of many including the youth were fading with others criticizing it for failing to fulfill it's promises to the nation .

Internally the Alliance has also witnessed wrangles amongst it's members as evident in a radio interview In 2022 when Frank Mwenefumbo of the UTM a major partner in the ruling Tonse Alliance said that some members of the UTM wanted the party to withdraw from the Tonse Alliance further stating that most of the UTM members were not comfortable with the way things are being managed in the government citing the then appointment of cabinet members by Lazarus Chakwera president of the alliance , a sentiment which clearly shows that hostilities are present in the alliance.

UTM also admitted in 2020 that absence of the Tonse Alliance manifesto in public might be the origin of assertions that all is not rosy in the alliance government in terms of priority ideologies .

A recent fight in May earlier this year betweeen MCP youth class and UTM youth in Limbe , Blantyre during the official opening of the Malawi Bureau of standards complex further shows that the alliance is in wrangles over supremacy amongst it's members .

Enock Chihana President of AFORD one of the parties in the alliance , has been very critical of the alliance and the government recently openly accusing President Dr Lazarus Chakwera and the Malawi Congress Party of disregarding the Tonse Alliance agreement.

On the other hand their arch rivals to the Tonse Alliance , DPP is also facing alot of power struggles amongst it's members instead of capitalizing on their rivals lapses .

Professor Peter Mutharika still remains the DPP president despite the party loosing power in the 2020 re-run elections to the Tonse Alliance . Opposing factions have risen in the party with some members opposing Mutharika being the party's torch bearer in the upcoming 2025 elections.

Two factions have emerged in the party 

The other faction fully coming out and endorsing the choosing of Mutharika as the party's torch bearer in the coming elections and the other faction fully opposing this endorsement advocating for a democratic way of letting anyone willing to challenge Mutharika have a fair run .

Shadrec Namalomba the party's Spokesperson has openly stated that everyone in the party must fully support the idea of supporting Mutharika in the upcoming elections or leave the party if they don't want to support Mutharika .

On a Contrally view the party's Publicity Secretary Nicholas Dausi has opposed these sentiments and has been opposing the endorsement of Mutharika saying that everyone needs a fair levelled field to contest as the party's torch bearer at the party's convention as this is in line with the party's Democratic nature amidst claims that those opposing Mutharika in the party are being relieved from their duties In the party a recent victim being Kelvin Chirambo director of youth for the party In the north . 

Scenarios clearly indicating that DPP is also struggling to focus on reclaiming power in the coming elections but rather busy with dealing with internal conflicts.

With these two favorites in the 2025 elections facing internal wrangles , this means that going into the 2025 polls anything can happen because the political scene in the country remains un clear of who has an upper hand amongst these two political rivals with the fact that they both look to be unstable entities  instead of gearing up for the upcoming elections.

What happens next will be seen in the next months or so .

Article by Benjamin GK Nyirenda