Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has received his party’s endorsement to seek a second term in the upcoming election. However, to retain power, his party, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), will have to find a strong alliance partner.
The MCP, which has been in an electoral coalition with the United Transformation Movement (UTM) since 2020, now lacks a formidable partner following the UTM’s decision to end the alliance after former Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima’s passing in a plane crash in June. Chilima led the UTM, and his party aided Chakwera in winning an overwhelming majority in the 2020 election.
According to Malawi’s political system, a presidential candidate must obtain over 50% of the votes to win. During an MCP convention that supported his reelection bid, Chakwera informed delegates that he was confident that his party’s backing had increased since the previous election.
“This is no ordinary convention because it is the convention of the party that will win in 2025,” Chakwera said in his address late on Thursday.
“We are growing in strength every day as more people from other parties join us, as the MCP’s founding families remain here and as those who left the party are returning.”
The MCP, established by the nation’s inaugural leader, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, regained control in 2020 after 26 years in the minority. It pledged to tackle corruption and bolster the economy.
However, opposing parties argue that the MCP has not followed through on its commitments, as the economy remains precarious.
Chakwera’s primary rival is former President Peter Mutharika, who is anticipated to receive the endorsement of the main opposition Democratic Progress Party at its conference later this month.