Tonse deal ends 2025—MCP, others

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our years after teaming up under the Tonse Alliance, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and others say the electoral partnership that triumphed in the court-sanctioned fresh presidential election expires in 2025.

But UTM Party of Vice-President Saulos Chilima, which is on record to have stated that its leader will take charge of the alliance from 2025, on the fourth anniversary of the deal yesterday said it would make an announcement on the provisions in the deal at an appropriate time.

Speaking in an interview yesterday, MCP spokesperson Ezekiel Ching’oma said the party’s national executive committee (NEC), which has already endorsed President Lazarus Chakwera as presidential candidate, will meet to review and make fresh arrangements come 2025.

He said: “It should be emphasised that this agreement does not extend beyond that specified period. Consequently, the NEC will convene again to discuss and plan for the future.

“It is essential to reconvene and engage in constructive discussions to formulate a fresh agreement that encompasses all the parties we intend to collaborate with. This will allow us to establish a renewed and comprehensive alliance, ensuring a strong and unified front for the years to come.”

Ching’oma acknowledged occasional disagreements among MCP and UTM supporters on social media platforms, but said Chakwera and Chilima have closely worked together to achieve common goals.

On the other hand, UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala said an announcement regarding the alliance will be made at an appropriate time.

He said: “There is an agreement that will be laid out to the public and with our partners. We believe that whatever is in the agreement will be followed. An appropriate time will come when UTM and the alliance will make a statement.”

Commenting on the performance of the Tonse Alliance administration, Njawala said while his party has acquired experience on how to deal with different parties, their agenda is not being implemented.

He said: “It’s frustrating because people align failure of this government to the manifesto we pushed through. We talk of the one million jobs, three meals a day, K15 000 for the elderly and K14 000 cost of passport.

“Major frustration is on megafarms. This is the main ingredient for seven of our pillars, and failure to implement this fully has resulted in failure to implement everything. Yes megafarms are being done, but not as we were preaching.”

People’s Party (PP) spokesperson Ackson Kalaile Banda, whose party is another alliance partner, said despite several challenges, Chakwera has brought back donor confidence.

He said:  “The powers and mandate to govern is given to the President and the rest play an advisory role wherever possible. Our agreement in the Tonse Alliance was from 2020 to 2025. So, as the party approaches 2025, we shall make our position known.”

The country’s former vice-president Khumbo Kachali, who also leads Freedom Party (FP), said the focus of the alliance was to make Chakwera become the President.

He said: “ We haven’t been used much because we are not in government, we are not in Cabinet. As an individual, I have countless times had a chat with Chakwera and Chilima and advised where necessary.”

Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (Mafunde) president George Nnensa said the alliance will soon disband and they have options on their table for the 2025 polls.

He said: “Very soon, the alliance will disintegrate and we have to decide the next move. The alliance exists by name only because government is the Executive and most of us are not there.

“Malawians expected a lot. We said nine parties will do great right things, but it’s been one party fostering its own agenda.”

People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) president Mark Katsonga Phiri suggested a clear legal framework to guide alliances.

“We were used and dumped but there is nothing we can do because there is no legal backing. MCP is doing all what it wants, we are not sharing our knowledge in all this to help develop the country,” he said.

Political pundit Wonderful Mkhutche in an interview said the relationship between MCP and UTM has been that of a cat and a mouse trying to politically outwit one another.

He said after MCP endorsed Chakwera for the September 2025 polls, UTM needed to hold a bilateral meeting with MCP to map the way forward.

Mkhutche said it was clear that MCP does not want anything to do with UTM.

He said: “The two secretaries general of MCP and UTM need to hold a joint presser and tell their voters what is going on. If they have parted ways, it also has to come from them. It is not fair to play around with the minds of their voters.”

Governance analyst Mavuto Bamusi said MCP and UTM are engaging in political deceit where MCP feels the agreement is not legally binding and it can walk out of the pact.

Another governance expert George Chaima also said failure by the MCP to incorporate other parties has affected the country’s development drive.

He said : “MCP has put itself in a tight corner because it has created a situation where it want to do what it feels only, not from other parties. Look at megafarms, pricing of subsidy, they are all brainchild of UTM, but UTM is sidelined.”

On the suggestion to come up with a legal structure to govern electoral alliances, Malawi Law Society (MLS) president Patrick Mpaka said alliances seem largely to be an advancement of selfish interests instead of the collective wishes of the people clearly expressed in the Constitution.

The Tonse Alliance dislodged the former governing DPP of Peter Mutharika.