NPC yet to vet major parties’ manifestos
National Planning Commission (NPC) has vetted and approved manifestos of 10 political parties ahead of the September 16 2025 General Elections, but those regarded as major parties are yet to submit theirs.
Parties yet to make their submissions in line with the amended Sect i on 12A of the Political Parties Act to ensure compliance and alignment to the Malawi 2063 (MW2063) national development agenda are Malawi Congress Party (MCP), UTM Party, People’s Party (PP), United Democratic Front (UDF) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
In an interview on Tuesday, NPC public relations and communications manager Thom Khanje said the commission is not publicising names of compliant enti ties because the parties have opted to do the announcements themselves.
He said the onus is on the parties to submit their manifestos before the January 22 2025 deadline.
Khanje said NPC has been engaging all parties in trainings on manifesto formulation and that it
is the parties that will suffer if they miss the cut-off date.
He said: “Ten [10] pol i t ical mani festos have been certified so far while two are going through review. Some manifestos have taken the commission about two months t o b e polished and approved.
“We are pleased with the progress so far. We expect more political parties to come after holding their conventions.”
UTM Party publicity secretary Felix Njawala said they will submit their manifesto after their convention on November 17 2024 while PP publicity secretary Ackson Kalaile Banda said their manifesto will be submitted once the party executive convenes “before the end of November”.
On the other hand, DPP spoke sper son Shadric Namalomba said they are still developing stage of their manifesto.
He said: “Developing a manifesto is a serious and complex process. We are still developing it and consulting. NPC is the brainchild of former president Peter Muthar ika, so, yes, we will abide by the requirement.”
UDF secretary general Kandi Padambo said formulation of their manifesto awaits the party’s new leadership.
“We are planning to hold our convention on October 2 and 3 2024. Our manifesto will be developed by the new leadership after the convention,” he said.
But MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila said she needed to consult on the matter.
Earlier, political scientist Ernest Thindwa said the idea of legally compelling parties to align their manifestos to the MW2063 is something he does not subscribe to.
He said the arrangement does not only limit party creativity and variety when crafting mani festos, but also inadvertently undermines the fundamental need for the parties to primarily
be responsive to citizens when proposing socioeconomic programmes.
The amended Section 12A of the Political Parties Act indicates0that the NPC shall issue a certificate of compliance where it is satisfied that a manifesto is aligned to the national development agenda
