The story of LMC,APM inevitability

 Why has no one in Malawi Congress Party (MCP) challenged President Lazarus Chakwera to the organisation’s top job and possibly the State presidency?

And why did heavyweights in the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) allow to be bullied out of contention for the grouping’s top leadership spot, leaving president Peter Mutharika sauntering into a rematch with Chakwera?

Political analysts are divided over the decision by MCP members to allow Chakwera to run unopposed as the party’s candidate at a convention that was scheduled to start today, but which the Supreme Court has ordered be suspended until legal battles end.

While some say the move could be a sign of confidence in Chakwera’s leadership, others believe members fear repercussions of challenging him.

In an interview yesterday, political scientist Henry Chingaipe said lack of challengers in MCP reflects both confidence in the leader and a practical approach, given that Chakwera is constitutionally entitled to run for a second term.

He said: “He led the party to their first win since 1994. After one term in government, the consensus among party members is to continue with him.

“I do not believe there is a fear of ‘burning fingers’. Any potential challengers likely prefer to avoid disrupting the status quo.”

Another analyst Wonderful Mkhutche noted that Chakwera’s familiarity and experience make him a strong candidate for the party.

He said: “He has the experience and the group cannot risk introducing a new face for next year’s elections. It would be challenging to defeat him at the party convention.”

However, in a separate interview, political analyst George Chaima argued that the decision reflects politics of loyalty rather than genuine choice.

He adds that the crowded positions of . vice-president and secretary general suggest that members are avoiding a direct challenge on Chakwera, preferring to maintain the appearance of democratic process“I wish MCP could have fielded a dummy contender to coat the colour of monopolistic and glorious image of wathu ndi yemweyo. That is how the politics of sugar coating works.

“The former president Bakili Muluzi played that game with the late Moses Dossi,” said Chaima.

Commenting on prospects of former president Peter Mutharika also facing no competition as in DPP at the upcoming indaba next week, Chingaipe noted that while Mutharika did face contenders, he effectively pushed them out.

The analyst singled out former Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa and former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor Dalitso Kabambe as two individuals who were publicly known to have intentions to contest.

Said Chingaipe: “It is probably easier in opposition parties for contenders to emerge publicly than in the ruling parties.

“With Nankhumwa and Kabambe out, the other contenders such as incumbent Leader of Opposition George Chaponda are so close to APM politically that it really doesn’t matter for them. They will, as before, get to be the pragmatic power holders.”

On his part, University of Malawi political scientist Boniface Dulani said the Chakwera-APM likely rematch shows how distant the youth are from top political positions even when they constitute a large percentage of voters.

In the last election in 2019, the youth constituted 54 percent of registered voters, but have struggled to find space in top executive leadership positions in political parties.

Du l a n i n o t e d t h a t Chakwera promised during his inauguration that he would be the last ‘Nyasa’ to hand over power to ‘born frees’.

At the next general elections, Chakwera will be 70 while Mutharika will clock 85.