In a rare coincidence, former president Peter Mutharika and his recent past protégé Dalitso Kabambe yesterday registered as voters few kilometres apart in Thyolo where they also lured eligible voters to register.
Mutharika, who is leading the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kabambe, an economist who rose to become Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) governor in Mutharika’s administration, but now leading UTM Party, have emerged as two of the presidential hopefuls in the September 16 2025 General Elections.
Kabambe, who dumped DPP in July this year amid scramble for power to replace Mutharika, was seen with his supporters registering at Chikumba Primary School near Masambanjati, a few of kilometres from Goliati Trading Centre where Mutharika registered.
Mutharika, accompanied by his wife Gertrude, spent less than 10 minutes in the voter registration centre before coming out to greet and address DPP supporters who had gathered there.
He touted himself as the right candidate for the 2025 Presidential Election and further pledged to solve challenges facing the country, including hunger, inflation and nepotism.
On the other hand, Kabambe also claimed to be the right person to lead the country.
The duo also served together in the DPP before falling out after Kabambe declared interest to lead the party. He joined UTM Party weeks after the death in a military plane crash of the party’s founding president Saulos Chilima, who was also the country’s Vice-President under both Mutharika and President Lazarus Chakwera.
When quitting DPP, he said the decision was not made lightly but after “careful reflection and in the best interest of all parties involved”.
Yesterday, Kabambe challenged his rivals at the ballot and assured his supporters that he will emerge victorious in the election.
“I have said before UTM will win in 2025 and Malawians want change, they must vote for me,” he said to a mob of supporters following his motorcade.
In their messages, both leaders said Chakwera must be booted out of power purportedly because he has failed to lead the country.
Said Mutharika: “I am actually very surprised that Dr. Chakwera still wants to contest in the 2025 Presidential Election. The man and his current administration have failed Malawians.
“They [MCP] are like snakes that do not eat mangoes, but chase people who eat mangoes from trees. The prices of everything have gone up. I know all the problems you are facing.”
He also accused the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and MCP, a key partner in the now disintegrated Tonse Alliance, of trying to rig the upcoming elections.
Said Mutharika: “MCP wants to rig the elections with their Smartmatic company that they have brought. But do not be discouraged with this to go and register because we will not accept rigged results.
“If you don’t register you will not vote. It is important that you go and register so that we remove this government next year.”
Meanwhile, Kabambe said in an interview that he has already met party ‘spresidential aspirants who lost at the convention last Sunday.
They are former UTM Party secretary general Patricia Kaliati, businessperson and party co-founder Engineer Newton Kambala and former corporate executive Engineer Matthews Mtumbuka.
Said Kabambe: “After the elections, I felt duty bound knowing that in every contest one would win and one would not win. So, having passed through, I needed to reach out to my colleagues, and I did that.
“I have met all of them, to appeal to work together. We already made the commitments to work with each other and my colleagues are going to work with everyone else in the party.”
On the voters’ registration, he added his voice to calls for MEC to extend the voter registration exercise by at least three weeks, arguing that most centres faced numerous challenges in early days of registration.
Kabambe was accompanied by the party’s newly-elected secretary general Willet Kalonga and vice-president for the South Richard Makondi, among others.
He urged people to register to elect good leaders in the September 16 2025 election.
Kabambe stepped into former vice-president Saulos Chilima’s shoes after amassing 636 votes against 26 for Kambala, 22 for Mtumbuka and 21 for Kaliati.
The second phase of the voter registration conducted in the districts of Thyolo, Blantyre, Zomba Kasungu, Dowa, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Likoma, Nkhata Bay and Rumphi is closing today.
As the second phase closes, 168 constituencies (374 wards) have registered and the remaining 61 constituencies (160 wards) will be conducted in 8 councils from 28 November to 3 December
After reading the article, Mr kambabe is saying that he met his fellow members who lost and discussed to work together, that’s bravo because just after convention some of those who lost said they’re not agreeing with the elective convetion.
Kabambe should be able to work together with all party members.