A recent perception survey by Afrobarometer shows the governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) could face the chop in the September 16 2025 General Elections if its dwindling ratings go unchecked. In this interview with our News Analyst LLOYD CHITSULO, MCP secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda says the party is unfazed by the opinion poll which projected the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to return to power if the vote was held today. Excerpts:
Q: Have you sat down to discuss the Afrobarometer survey which favours DPP to return to power five years after President Lazarus Chakwera took MCP back to power through the Tonse Alliance?
A: MCP will not sit down to specifically discuss the Afrobarometer survey findings. We do not consider that as a crisis. We always sit down at various levels of to discuss our position as the leading political party in Malawi. These meetings also help to foster unity, progress and a deep-rooted commitment to the principles of democracy and service to the people. We spend our precious time on strengthening our grassroots structures, enhancing our policy platforms, and ensuring that every member feels valued and heard. Our overriding preoccupation, as a party, is to secure victory in the next elections for President Chakwera and the MCP.
Q: MCP leaders have been vocal in protest against the Afrobarometer survey, arguing that a sample of 1 200 interviewees is too small to produce findings that are truly representative of the perceptions of over 20 million Malawians? Did the researchers have to interview a whole population?
A: MCP remains the biggest party and the most successful in the country’s history. You can cross-check these facts. As such, MCP will not spend its precious time arguing about whether the survey findings were credible or not. We consider the Afrobarometer survey as water under the bridge. As a party, we will move ahead and take Malawi to a prosperous future.
Q: By discrediting the survey, are you encouraging your supporters to brush off the findings?
A: We assure our supporters across the country that MCP, under President Chakwera, remains strong and that we will comfortably win next year’s general elections. Our goal is to win with a strong mandate next year. You are aware that between 2020 and now, the MCP has won 95 percent of all by-elections at all levels and in places considered to be the opposition’s strongholds. What could stop us from winning the next general elections? Those by-election victories were not a fluke or an accident, but a strong vote of confidence in the leadership of His Excellency President Chakwera and MCP.
Q: In the wake of the Afrobarometer survey findings, how then, are you moving forward as a party?
A: For MCP, the most important thing will be to remain vigilantly in touch with Malawians’ dreams and aspirations. MCP will continue to be a listening party, open to discussions that align with our values and principles, to forge an inclusive agenda. The party will continue to prioritise addressing pressing issues affecting Malawians such as economic development, healthcare access, agricultural reform, education reform, food insecurity and infrastructure improvement. MCP will not completely ignore voter concerns identified in the Afrobarometer survey. Instead, we will align our social and economic policies with the voters’ concerns and aspirations. MCP will continue to strive to be responsive to the needs of Malawians.
Q: Any word for MCP supporters and voters swayed or startled by the Afrobarometer findings?
A: MCP, under President Chakwera, has the privilege and an honour to serve Malawians. It is important to judge the party based on what we have achieved in a short time and what our commitment to the people of Malawi is, and not merely propaganda. As we approach the 2025 elections, there will always be a lot of surveys and propaganda. My appeal to Malawians is to avoid being carried away by misinformation. I encourage MCP supporters to continue to rally behind the party because President Chakwera and the party will continue to govern beyond 2025
Q: How do you rate the relevance of opinion polls in politics?
A: MCP supporters should not be intimidated or discouraged by the Afrobarometer survey findings. History shows that some opinion polls have been inaccurate before. In 2016 and this year, most US pollsters got it horribly wrong as there were discrepancies between their predictions and the actual election results. The New York Times/Siena College Poll, CNN Polls, Reuters/Ipsos Poll, Fox News Polls and NBC News polls all showed that Democratic candidates—Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in this year’s election—would easily win against Republican candidate Donald Trump, but they missed by far and these are credible pollsters with international reputation at stake.. So, while we give respect to the Afrobarometer as an institution, we believe their findings are subject to scrutiny where necessary. MCP believes that they left out necessary information deliberately. So, watch this space.
