Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) on Thursday met major political parties in the country to fashion out strategies that safeguard peace ahead of the September 16 2025 General Elections.
The engagement follows a spate of lawlessness and political violence in the country, like the recent case of panga-wielding hoodlumns who foiled anti-government protests in Lilongwe in full view of Malawi Police Service officers.
Speaking during the meeting in Mangochi, CMD vice-chairperson Ben Chakhame said the engagement sought to meet political party leaders and tell them that “there is no room for violence in the country”.
He said CMD has noted with concern the skirmishes that have erupted in the country and, as an organisation mandated to represent Malawians through their political parties, it cannot just sit and watch things go haywire.
Said Chakhame: “We want to ensure that conflict resolution is achieved in the interest of the nation.”
He said the engagement will establish what he termed “red flag” areas that may cause or perpetuate violence as the country creeps towards the general elections.
“This is way after meeting political party leaders today [Thursday], tomorrow [Friday] we will also meet Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) officials to discuss a number of grey areas the stakeholders have raised recently, and how best to deal with them.”
In her remarks, Democratic Progressive Party representative Jean Mathanga, who is director of elections, said the engagement is timely in view of previous and prevailing violence.
“This engagement is important and worth attending. I hope whatever, we are going to discuss here will not be rhetoric, but will be implemented,” she said.
Malawi Congress Party publicity secretary Jessie Kabwila also commended CMD for the engagement, saying it created a forum where she met her colleagues to counter unfounded allegations against her party.“We are a peaceful party and that’s why we are here with our friends to discuss issues that can amalgamate us,” she said.
On his part, CMD executive director Boniface Chibwana reiterated the organisation’s commitment to engaging the parties in order to sustain peace to help the country hold a free, fair and credible election.
Other major political party leaders that attended the meeting were UTM, People’s Party, United Democratic Front and Alliance for Democracy
