By Burnett Munthali
The question of who should lead the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) beyond its current leadership has resurfaced after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Lilongwe ended without formally addressing the succession debate surrounding former President Lazarus Chakwera.
The NEC meeting on Wednesday focused instead on rebuilding the party’s grassroots structures and strengthening preparations for the 2030 general elections, despite growing political interest in Chakwera’s future within the party.
MCP Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda said the NEC was not the appropriate platform to debate the party presidency, stressing that such decisions belong to a convention.
“MCP does not do that,” Chimwendo Banda said when questioned about the succession issue. He argued that the NEC should not be confused with a party convention, where major leadership questions can be formally considered.
His position effectively places the leadership debate on a different political timetable, leaving the question of Chakwera’s long-term role in MCP unresolved.
The issue has gained renewed attention following MCP’s defeat in the September 2025 general election. The party is now facing the task of rebuilding its political structures while positioning itself for the next electoral contest.
Chimwendo Banda acknowledged that the party has spent the past year reflecting on its electoral defeat and reorganising its structures.
“We lost the elections,” he said, adding that the party had been learning from the experience and working to strengthen itself.
The leadership question, however, remains politically significant because decisions made between now and the 2030 elections could determine MCP’s strategy, internal cohesion and appeal to voters.
There has also been speculation within political circles about possible constitutional changes that could influence the future eligibility of Chakwera to remain at the helm of the party. Such changes would require formal party processes and cannot be treated as settled policy unless adopted through the appropriate structures.
Political scientist George Phiri has cautioned MCP against indefinitely postponing the leadership question, arguing that the party needs sufficient time to resolve its internal direction and rebuild its political position before the 2030 elections.
For MCP, the immediate challenge is therefore twofold: rebuilding a party weakened by its 2025 electoral defeat while managing an increasingly important conversation about leadership.
The NEC’s decision not to place succession on its agenda may have avoided an immediate internal confrontation, but it has not removed the question from Malawi’s political conversation.
As MCP begins its journey towards 2030, the eventual decision over Chakwera’s political future could become one of the party’s most consequential internal debates.
