Promoters of increased participation of women in politics have mentioned threats of violence and lack of transparency in managing party primary elections as some factors frustrating attainment of the 50:50 Campaign targets.
Commenting on the performance of women in party primaries so far ahead of the September 16 2025 General Election, NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) chairperson Maggie Kathewera Banda said there is still work in progress because many women have not succeeded.
She said there is an outcry from women that parties are favouring male candidates.
Kathewera Banda, whose network has been championing increased representation of women in Parliament, called on parties to have well-laid out procedures for conducting primary elections to address challenges that women aspirants have been facing.
“The parties need to have transparent systems for conducting primary elections with proper information on constituency structures, delegates and related fees because these are some of the issues that give men advantage,” she said.
In an earlier interview, Oxfam in Malawi country director Lingalireni Mihowa said they have also received complaints from women aspirants about chaotic organisation of primary elections, including abrupt changes in venues.
Governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are conducting primary elections to identify candidates for parliamentary and local government elections.
While numbers are still being computed, preliminary results show older male aspirants are dominating those clinching parliamentary and local government seats nominations across major parties.
For Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), some of the notable women who have won parliamentary primaries include Flavia Kaliati Kasitomu in Thyolo Masambanjati, Tiaone Hendry in Phalombe South, Maureen Namwali in Thyolo Goliati and Veronica Ndalama in Blantyre City South Lunzu.
On the other hand, victorious female aspirants in Malawi Congress Party (MCP) primaries include Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo in Lilongwe City Ngwenya Constituency, former Lilongwe City mayor Juliana Kaduya in Lilongwe City Masintha, Lilongwe City Mayor Esther Sagawa in Lilongwe Chipala Nafisi, Rubyna De Silva in Lilongwe City Kamphuno, Sakina Chingomanje in Salima Central East, Dorothy Chikonje in Nkhotakota Dwangwa and Jessie Kabwila in Salima Central West.
In an interview yesterday, MCP deputy secretary general Gerald Kazembe said the party has conducted primaries 60 percent of the 229 constituencies, translating into about 130 constituencies.
He, however, could not provide a breakdown of women, youths and persons with disabilities who have won so far, but said the process was participatory.
On his part, DPP secretary general Peter Mukhito said the party has conducted primary elections in about 50 percent of the constituencies.
While not providing the actual number of women who have won in DPP primary elections, he said women were able to compete freely.
Malawi has faced a challenge of women under representation in politics, in particular parliamentary seats and local assembly positions.
The 2009 elections saw 42 women winning parliamentary seats, representing 22 percent of the 193-member House. There was a reduction in number of female MPs in 2014 as only 32 made it, representing 16 percent. In the 2019 elections, 45 women were elected as legislators, representing 23 percent of seats.
