Malawi goes to the polls on September 16 this year in what promises to be a highly-contested general election. Our News Analyst LLOYD CHITSULO caught up with political scientist WONDERFUL MKHUTCHE to discuss the rising political temperature and what Malawians should expect in the New Year. Excerpts:
Q: How do you describe the political twists and turns in the year ended?
A: Malawi politics in 2024, especially from June was largely determined by the death of Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who was a key player as a kingmaker with the UTM Party. Besides, the governing Tonse Alliance has not delivered as expected and this has compromised the position of President Lazarus Chakwera and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), with other allies dumping the coalition.
This situation is tricky as the opposition is also not delivering what Malawians expect. In a nutshell, Malawi politics has largely been a huge disappointment to the citizens as it has not delivered the expected goods and services.
Q: Incidences of politically-motivated violence escalated in 2024. Should we anticipate this in the election year?
A: This year, we should expect more political violence. We have to face this bitter reality. This will be the case looking at how the government has handled the violent incidents so far. There is selective justice and no one has been held to account for political violence and hate speech. This alone shows that the government and the opposition sides will contest violently in the public space as there is no direct intention, especially from the government, to sanitise our politics.
Q: What should political parties do, then, to curtail the neglected wave of political violence in the country?
A: Political parties have to encourage civil and tolerant politics. They should publicly and strongly condemn violence regardless of the perpetrators’ political colours. Surprisingly, parties have special people who are sent to do political violence as a means to an end. This only exposes how parochial our politics is. Violence does not gather votes. Parties need to concentrate on spreading and explaining their ideas to the voters.
Q: What role do other stakeholders, including the civil society organisations, have to safeguard peace in the countdown to the polls?
A: Apart from political parties, the government is the main stakeholder through the Malawi Police Service, the courts and the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC). Government needs to act for everyone. They must act without fear and favour. The selective justice we have seen so far simply shows that the government is not ready to deal with this issue. I’m not a naysayer, but this spells doom in itself. It leaves the hands of relevant institutions tied.
Q: Looking forward, what should Malawians, especially voters, anticipate come September 16, the polling day?
A: There are early indications that the September 2025 General Elections will be highly contested if we take it from the recent Afrobarometer perception survey. The newly released opinion poll on voting intentions shows the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) having an edge over the governing MCP. This is normal and healthy. But what I am mainly afraid of is how the losing side will handle their fate. We will likely end up in post-electoral dispute and we need to start preparations on how we can handle this conflict as an impending reality.
Q: Electoral alliances are imminent. Should we expect an alliance that may sail through easily without the possibility of a re-run considering the 50 percent plus one electoral system?
A: In terms of alliances, yes some parties will go into alliances. But there won’t be an alliance that will outrightly win the election. We should be prepared for a re-run. The alliances will mainly be made of weak parties, including MCP and DPP who will be going into the September 2025 elections while unpopular.
Q: Looking at how electoral alliances have turned out in previous years, do you see more taking shape this year? If yes, should Malawians have faith in them in the foregoing?
A: Whether we trust the alliances or not, alliances are a reality that will live with us for a long time. Therefore, we need to find a way to live with the alliances. We’ve had a dreadful experiment with the alliances, especially with Tonse Alliance. But we need to wise up and learn from experience, including the structural changes we need to make in our laws to ensure that alliances are founded in the interest of Malawians and not only the wish to win power.
Q: Any word as we count down to the big day in September?
A: As Malawians, let us learn from the past and make better choices this year. Malawi will exist for many centuries to come and it will outlive us all. So, we need to act even for the good of future generations. Let us defeat the selfishness that has limited the ends.
