Political parties represented in Parliament have asked the Malawi Police Service to act professionally by avoiding selective law enforcement as observed during the September 16 2025 General Election.
The parties expressed their sentiments yesterday during a meeting with police leadership at National Police Headquarters in Area 30, Lilongwe.
During the meeting, the parties operating under the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) said the issues emerged in the run up to the September 16 General Election and required a reset in relations with law enforcement.
not be selective. | Nation
CMD chairperson Ben Chakhame said parties observed lapses in the uniform application of the law during several politically charged incidents.
Months before the elections activist Sylvester Namiwa was hacked by assailants widely linked to the then governing Malawi Congress Party in full view of State security agencies, including police.
In a separate incident during campaign, a UTM Party whistle-stop tour in Lilongwe was disrupted by masked nyau dancers, again without swift police intervention.
However, when violence erupted in Kasungu during a rally addressed by former Cabinet minister Simplex Chithyola Banda, police moved in quickly and arrested suspects linked to opposition groups.
Chakhame, who is People’s Party secretary general, said the contrasting responses fed perceptions of selective enforcement.
“The law should not be selective. It does not have eyes or a brain. It must apply to everyone regardless of political grouping,” he said.
Chakhame said the new police leadership has assured CMD that professionalism and impartiality would guide future operations, adding that political parties also committed to discouraging violence and operating within the law.
Governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national director of elections Jean Mathanga, representing the party’s secretary general, said the engagement helped clarify expectations between political actors and law enforcement.
“There is new membership at CMD and leadership at the Malawi Police Service and we needed to align objectives on how we work together,” she said.
Police Inspector General Richard Luhanga acknowledged the concerns and said the engagement created space to expand cooperation beyond election security.
“This was a big opportunity for us to interact with all political parties represented in Parliament and identify areas where we can support each other,” he said.
He said both sides agreed on a proactive approach including joint capacity-building programmes and civic education initiatives.
“There are opportunities for joint programmes where we can educate the youth together and conduct mass civic education in communities,” Luhanga said.
CMD now has nine political parties represented in Parliament from six previously while the Malawi Police Service has a new command structure, factors that influenced renewed engagement.
