The Governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has stated that no political party has approached them to form an alliance ahead of the September elections. In an interview with Capital FM, MCP’s Second Vice Publicity Secretary Ken Msonda says despite the lack of interest from other parties, MCP is fully prepared for the elections and is confident of victory with or without an alliance. “MCP is ready for the elections, we believe we will win, whether or not we go into an alliance,” said Msonda. He further noted that the party is actively working on the ground to address the needs of Malawians and expressed confidence that citizens will re-elect President Lazarus Chakwera in September’s polls. Meanwhile, political commentator George Chaima suggests that other parties may be reluctant to form an alliance with MCP, claiming the party prefers to operate independently.  

A survey conducted by Malawi24 on their Facebook Page this week seen by this paper has revealed that 81% of the population do not want  Reverend Lazarus Chakwera of  MCP to continue as president of Malawi come 16 September 2025. This is coming at a time when the President assured Malawians during the opening ceremony of this year’s Trade Fair on Friday 23rd May, 2025 in Blantyre that he will win the forthcoming presidential elections with landslide  . “Whether you like it or not, I am a winning the presidential elections come 16th September, 2025′. His Excellency the President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera  said this confidently amid ululations from party loyalists who attended the function. 14000 respondents participated in the survey on the question of whether Chakwera must be voted out or be re-elected in September, 2025 to continue governing Malawi for the next five years. 11,337 respondents representing 81% said Chakwera must pack up and go  because he has miserably failed Malawians in many ways.  1,739, representing 13% approved of his leadership style saying Chakwera must be re-elected in September, 2025 to continue governing the country while 737 are undecided. Chakwera became president of the Republic of Malawi after the controversial June, 2020 Constitutional Court ruling on the 2019 Presidential Elections in which the Court ruled in favor of the Malawi Congress Party MCP and United Transformation Movement UTM to nullifying the 2019 Presidential Elections which declared Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika a winner. Chakwera won the election on the Tonse Alliance ticket after over promising Malawians that he was the one to transform the economy and fix broken systems only to worsen the situation. Currently, Chakwera’s approval rating is below 20% against over 50% rating in 2020. Meanwhile, all surveys and public opinion polls are in favour of DPP Presidential candidate, His Excellency the  Former President of the Republic of Malawi, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika as the next president of Malawi.  

Minister of Trade Vitumbiko Mumba has decided to appeal the injunction discharge done by the party leadership and he has since declared what he term war on the ‘Ukraine- Russia War’ on party’s Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda and others in a WhatsApp group called in “Friends of Vitumbiko Mumba” where most people are from the Northern Region. This is what he has posted on his wall; “I have just arrived in Tanzania where I have been invited by Thabo Mbeki to attend the Thabo Mbeki Africa Day Public Lecture and participate in round table discussions on Pan African matters. Remember tomorrow is Africa Day. What I can say are the following: 1. Lies have short legs and be assured, they are acting based on lies which will embarrass them soon 2. I will challenge the discharge plus whatever was used to discharge the injunction. As we speak, the lawyers are working on it this evening. 3. Watch the events as they unfold as it will be very interesting and shocking. 4. Many have been asking me to stand as an independent candidate, which is easier and cheaper. But look, that will be giving in to a few greedy and selfish but noisy individuals who use the party for their selfish goals. Our victory on this matter will liberate many who are oppressed by such gullible individuals 5. The team on the ground, the right voters during primaries, are disappointed by all this and if I dump them, they will be devastated because the “declared winner” used non-party members and non-position holders to hold bogus primaries. They are complaining as you are. 6. As I said last time, real battles are yet to unfold and this one is one of them. But in all these battles, we will conquer. 7. In politics, there is a huge price that one has to pay for refusing to be a bootlicker and hand- clapper of those that bulldoze everything. It’s a temporary issue which will disappear soon 8. Lastly, know that from 1 June onwards, we will be in the constituency and we will get that parliamentary seat at all costs. Those on the ground know the truth that is why these people are doing their best to give a picture that am not popular in the Constituency. In case there are any questions, please feel free and I will respond.” But know that I deeply appreciate your presence here and your love. Don’t be moved at all because I am not moved. Mumba concluded.

The Inspector General of Police Merlin Yolamu has urged political leaders to stop using inflammatory language that has potential to create lawlessness and instability ahead of elections. She was speaking today at the solidarity march in Lilongwe where all political parties were invited to attend. In her remarks, Yolamu said Malawians must be free to attend political party rallies without being threatened by any person. “Let me take this opportunity to warn the youths in the country not be used as vehicles through participating in violence and harassment against other people because the law will catch you. Am also urging all party leaders to rise above petty politics and speak about peace and unity in this country ahead of September polls,” urged the IG”. Earlier, Dr. Ernest Yeboah, who is the police advisor at the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), says Malawi will only thrive when the citizenry stands firm in a shared purpose. He called for courage, compassion, and an unshakeable belief in the power of one Malawi. Yeboah has challenged politicians that took part in today’s solidarity march against political violence to strengthen unity among their people.

The UTM Party has announced that it will conduct primary elections across all constituencies and wards from June 1 to June 5, in preparation for the upcoming general elections scheduled for September 16. In a statement released on Thursday and signed by party publicity secretary, Felix Njawala, the party has assured all aspirants that the primary elections will be free, fair, and credible. “The party is committed to upholding democratic values and providing a level playing field for all candidates,” Njawala said. The statement also outlined nomination fees for those seeking to contest in the primaries. Parliamentary candidates will be required to pay K300,000, while youths, women, and candidates from marginalized groups will pay a reduced fee of K150,000. In forward councilor positions, male aspirants will pay K100,000, whereas persons with disabilities will pay K50,000. UTM has urged all constituency governors and relevant party structures to support the electoral process and ensure inclusivity and transparency

President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has landed in Harare, Zimbabwe, in preparation for the 44th SADC Summit, where leaders from the region will gather to deliberate on innovation and sustainable economic development in Southern Africa. Upon his arrival, Dr. Chakwera received a warm welcome from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Kainga Nangozo, along with Malawi’s Ambassador Designate General Peter Namathanga, who is retired, and Zimbabwe’s Envoy to Malawi, Nancy Saungweme, as well as other high-ranking officials. The Malawi leader is set to head back home today after the one-day conference.

The 6th Public Affairs Committee Conference which was held in the commercial capital city of Blantyre from the 20th-21st September 2025, has ended with a plea going out to the Malawi Police Service to enhance security which in turn would ensure more public participation in politics and elections The opposition Democratic Progressive Party DPP through its Director of Elections, Commissioner Dr Jean Mathanga asked the Malawi police service to be as much professional as possible in order to repair its damaged reputation and trust. Dr Mathanga also appealed to the police to arrest perpetrators of political violence and devise it’s security plans in those areas deemed political violence hotspots. Among the areas identified as political violence hotspots, Lilongwe central, Nsundwe, Mzuzu, Karonga, Nkhotakota Central and Nsanje Lalanje featured highly and need special attention. When Alliance for Democracy – AFORD was given the floor, the party’s Director of Elections David Brown Katete condemned the Malawi police for carrying out arbitrary arrest of opposition members only while those from the governing Malawi Congress Party are scort free and enjoy police protection. He also questioned the legality of transferring the suspects from their present location to another distrust or region, saying such a move raises eyebrows. Hon. Katete also took a swipe at the national broadcaster, Malawi broadcasting corporation for being bias towards the government forgetting it’s mandate of serving the public, citing the involvement of the corporation’s director general in propaganda programs aired on television. “This has made the station unpopular among the people and stores anger since such a program promote hate speech and disinformation. The Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service, madam Merylyne Yolamu says her organization is doing all it can to stem political violence but admits that there are challenges. She said behind every political violence, there are visible and invisible hands and this is what sometimes, delays arrests.  

Former Attorney General Charles Mhango has diplomatically slammed MEC for proposing indicating that counting of elections results will start on the 17th and not the 16th “immediately” after voting as the law provides for . Mhango has cited Section 91 of the Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Government Act of 2023 which does not support MEC s position on that and this may be concluded by opposition and other stakeholders as a ploy by MEC to rig elections. Mhango quotes Section 91: For the avoidance of doubt, Section 91 of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections Act of 2023 provides that, “Immediately after the close of the poll at any polling station, the presiding officer shall bring all ballot boxes at one place, and, in the presence of polling station officers and representatives of political parties and candidates, if any is present, open the ballots boxes and order the counting of the votes to proceed..” There is no ambiguity about when vote counting will start. What is MEC up to?

The recent statement made by Malawi Army Commander, Paul Valentino Phiri to side with MEC for whatever reason during the forthcoming General elections  is not only worrisome but a new threat that Malawians must be ready to face head on. The nation is aware that Valentino Phiri was appointed to that position in 2023 by Chakwera because he is Chewa by tribe and the intentions are now clear that he has vested interests in protecting this government by all means despite MCP government’s failures and oppressing the people in many aspects. It is also not a coincidence that heads of Malawi Police Service, MEC and the Army are demonstrating lack of professionalism in handling issues of security and elections because they were appointed based on tribal lines. This is a clear sign that Malawi is slowly drifting back to one party dictatorship where the army is usually used to oppress the people and instill fear in the population for political reasons. This is the first time in the history of the nation that such reckless statements are openly made to the public by the army. During the Mutharika era, the army claimed to stand with people when in actual sense they were behind MCP move to topple the previous regime. The Malawi Defense Force MDF is a state military organization responsible for defending Malawi from external threats. Equally the army must be seen to ensure the constitution is upheld. But to announce ahead of time that the army will side with MEC make means they are smelling a dead rat. One has to ask about what has necessitated that statement or declaration. Why should the army make such a statement at a time when many people are very unhappy with the current regime’s performance and the writing is on the wall for all to see. Why should the army make such a statement when people are concerned about the use of Smartmatic machine for voting and vote counting? Why the army should make such a statement when MCP affiliated thugs are going around in broad day light hacking members of the opposition parties and civil servants? The army recently made a joint statement condemning politically sponsored violence and promised to act against culprits if this continues. Since then the army has been dead silent following the attacks of DPP members on 11th May, 2025 at Mponera in Dowa in Central Region. The police acted unprofessionally and failed to assist the victims whose vehicles were also torched in the process. Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of the Diocese of Karonga issued a stain warning to the two entities; Malawi Electoral Commission and the Malawi Defense Force MDF to tread carefully when handling issues of national importance especially the forthcoming elections. The army must know that their primary duty is to protect Malawi, Malawians and the constitution from any threat that may rob them of their rights. Take note that this is the same Commander  who lied and gave conflicting statement with President Chakwera about the plane crash in Chikangawa where the Vice President, Dr Saulos Chilima and 8 others lost their lives in very suspicious circumstances. This was the MDF plane and no one from the army has been held accountable for the crash. The key question is why is the army directly involved in these elections? The Malawi army must know that when the people are fed-up with an oppressive regime, there is nothing they can do to silence the voice of people – Vox populi. MCP, Malawi Army and MEC must know that the will of the people prevails over any tyranny and remember that we are not the army and we don’t take orders from the army as in Bishop Martin Mtumbuka’s own words. If Malawians sit back and observe this unfolding before their eyes, be rest assured that dictatorship is already back in full swing. If MCP is given another term, Malawi will be back to the worst oppressive regime ever experienced where many politicians will go into exile, many will be killed, some will be arrested without trial, freedom of speech will not be granted, freedom of association will be limited and controlled and there will be no opposition parties in Malawi, no civil society, journalists will be arrested and social media you see today will be gone. History will repeats itself. The good news is that the only way we can prevent this and preserve democracy is for all eligible voters to wake up first thing in the morning on 16th September, 2025 to vote for freedom, democracy, rule of law, development, peace and prosperity for all. Say no to dictatorship, say no to suffering, say no to MCP in large numbers where the army will have no power and Mtakataka – Zikwanje shall do nothing to stop the revolution.