By Chalo Mvula 

Malawi Congress Party Campaign Director for the centre Madalitso Kazombo   is leaving no stone unturned as he has embarked on whistle stop tours in the region trying to galvanise support for the party and its leadership as the country prepares for fresh elections scheduled for May 19^th. 

Kazombo who is also the first deputy speaker of Parliament,  took time to travel along Kamuzu road in Salima where he meet and addressed hundreds of people.  Speaking to the eagerly anticipating supporters,  Kazombo reiterated that his mission is to remind people about the Chakwera  Super Hi 5 agenda  and to encourage them to go and vote in the forthcoming elections. 

Kazombo spoke highly of Chakwera and promised the people that the only leader who can rescue Malawi and bring development to the country is Chakwera.  Kazombo who  prides himself in being a son of Malawi Congress Party  faced critisism  prior to the whistle stop tour as some media houses claimed he had spoken highly of President Peter Mutharika at a government function that took place at BICC. 

Addressing the issue through his social media handles, Kazombo has made it clear that he has no time for cheap propaganda that some people are trying to play . He said his focus in to hit the ground and campaign for Chakwera so that  MCP should win the elections “ Learn to say the truth ,  I am not moved by lies and would encourage everyone to watch the rebrodcast  of my speech, and let the journalists who wrote the story rewrite  their story . I am MCP and I will die MCP “ said Kazombo. 

Kazombo is optimistic that MCP will do even better  and encouraged all members to tireless campaign for Chakwera.  

By Chalo Mvula 

The opposition Malawi Congress Party National executive has  passed a resolution which opens the door for possible electoral alliance with United Transformation Party (UTM)  

In a statement by the party’s publicity secretary Rev Maurice Munthali, that national executive met on Friday evening  and in Pursuant to Article 3(12) of the Constitution of Malawi Congress Party on the need to work with other political parties with which MCP shares “a common vision”, they agreed to give the President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, full powers to enter negotiations with his UTM counterpart on the prospect of an alliance between the two parties. 

This decision mirrors the step taken by UTM who a few days ago elected a working committer to work on possibility of electoral alliance with MCP. UTM leader Dr Saulos Chilima is on record having said he is open to working with other parties as long as it is good for Malawi.  

MCP has previously used the same part of Constitutional to enter into alliances with Joyce Banda’s Peoples Party and Khumbo Kachali’s Freedom Party.  

 In giving further information, Munthali said “The resolution also gives the President full powers to constitute a qualified team to support his pursuit of an alliance through negotiations with the UTM team designated for that purpose. By implication, the President has been given the mandate to ascertain such terms of an alliance agreement as will be most beneficial for Malawi and its people” 

Since the Constitutional court ordered fresh elections, political parties have been busy repositioning themselves. The need for 50 plus 1 for the winner has seen the ruling Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) enter into an alliance with United Democratic Front (UDF)  

On why Malawi Congress Party has opted for this decision, Mauric Munthali said “The MCP NEC believes that empowering the party President with this mission is the best way to harness the national gains that both parties have cultivated together with all patriotic Malawians over the last eight months in which the whole nation fixed its gaze on the Constitutional Court where the MCP and UTM presidents were both petitioners. Knowing that the court case was a fight for justice and the political rights of every voter aggrieved by MEC’s mismanagement of the 2019 presidential election, the MCP NEC is confident that the negotiations with UTM will be conducted in good faith and bear fruit to help galvanize the majority of the electorate towards victory and lasting change in the fresh elections scheduled for Tuesday, 19th May 2020”. 

 It is said that the National executive resolution conforms to the Malawi Congress Party’s well-established value of contact and dialogue, its inimitable sensitivity to the aspirations of Malawians, and its quest for A New Malawi.  

Malawian president Peter Mutharika, who leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), on Tuesday announced an alliance with the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) party, led by Atupele Muluzi, as the country gears up for what are expected to be tightly contested fresh elections. 

 Mutharika and Muluzi exchanged party regalia – symbolising their pact – with supporters chanting in the background. 

“The alliance comes at the time when some politicians are threatening the peace and stability which this country has enjoyed for many years. Both DPP and UDF share a common belief that peace, stability and unity are a prerequisite for Malawi’s development. We do not believe in violence,” reads part of the  joint communiqué published by Nyasa Times.

“We cannot claim to be working in the interest of the people of Malawi if we cannot dialogue, unite and agree on matters of national interests. Our political union is born out of a spirit of unity and our caring to unite on matters that affect Malawians. Malawi cannot develop if we do not exercise this spirit of unity.”

On Monday, Malawi parliament had passed the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Amendment Bill which sets May 19 as the date for the fresh 2020 presidential elections and provides for the holding a run-off election 30 days later if no candidate gets 50% plus one of the votes cast.

The bills follow the constitutional court order for the house to make provisions for the holding of run-off elections since the 50 % plus one electoral system will be used in the elections.

Earlier this month, the constitutional court dismissed a bid by the Malawi Electoral Commission and Mutharika to suspend the ruling that overturned the 2019 election results until an appeal filed by the president was heard by the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA). 

The court also rejected the electoral commission’s argument that another election would be costly for the impoverished country, as well as Mutharika’s argument that there would be chaos if a fresh vote produced a different victor and his appeal at the SCA then succeeded, meaning Malawi would have two presidents. 

The constitutional court said it was highly unlikely that the new vote would take place before the SCA made its determination.