Political parties in the country have been advised to start holding their primary elections to identify candidates for the September 16 General Election as early as possible to have time to resolve any controversies.
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) 2025 General Election calendar shows that aspiring presidential, parliamentary and local government candidates should collect nomination papers between April and May with presentation or submission of the same scheduled for June.
In an interview last week, political analyst Chrispin Mphande asked the parties to move with speed and hold the primaries as soon as possible.
He said by holding their primaries early, they will create room for resolving disputes that often dog the primaries and create divisions in their parties that have previously ended up costing them potential votes.
“The best time to hold primaries is 10The months before the general election. Usually, there are divisions during primary elections. So, holding the elections early gives room for people to heal, reconcile and move forward,” said Mphande.
In a separate interview, analyst George Chaima also said time for holding primaries is now to enable the parties groom new candidates to effectively compete with others.
He said it would also help parties resolve differences that might arise. He noted that unresolved conflicts during primaries tend to force others to stand as independents or support other parties.
“Every vote counts, so you do not want to lose votes because of disagreements that can be resolved. That is why there is need to have ample time for resolving differences,” said Chaima.
On when his party plans to hold primaries, UTM Party spokesperson Felix Njawala said they are looking at February.
“Discussions are underway and the plan is to hold the primaries across the country,” he said.
Njawala added that UTM Party was also putting in place measures to promote women and youth participation as way of empowering them to hold leadership positions.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Jessie Kabwira said the party’s national executive committee will meet early this month and the issue of primaries will be discussed.
She said the committee was expected to meet last year, but MCP being a governing party prioritised addressing challenges affecting Malawians such as fuel shortage and hunger.
“We have also also been busy with the voter registration campaigns,” said Kabwira.
In a separate interview, Alliance for Democracy (Aford) spokesperson Annie Amatullah Maluwa said Aford national executive committee is expected to meet next week and the party will come up with its calendar for activities after the planned meeting.
On his part, People’s Party (PP) secretary general Ben Chakhame said the PP national executive committee will meet this Friday and the issue of primaries will likely be part of the discussions.
“We know how important this issue is. There are so many people that have expressed interest to stand on PP ticket. We will ensure fairness in the primaries. We will respect the people’s choice,” he said.
United Democratic Front spokesperson Dyson Jangia said the party’ primaries are expected to be held towards the end of the first quarter of the year. He said the party’s national executive committee will meet this month to discuss the matter.
“Women, youths and people with disabilities are being encouraged to take part in primaries and measures are being put in place to promote their participation,” he said.
On his part, Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said the party will come up with dates and ensure that it is within the MEC calendar.
Primary elections, especially at parliamentary election level, have over the years led to divisions across the parties that have seen some candidates contesting as independents.
The trend has resulted in the growth in independent legislators from 33 in 2009 to 52 in 2014 and 55 in 2019.
