With only five months remaining to the highly anticipated September 16 General Elections, political realignments are gaining momentum, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and UTM Party confirming that they are engaged in advanced discussions with other political parties on the possibility of forming electoral alliances.
DPP secretary general Peter Mukhito told The Daily Times that the party was in the final stages of negotiations with “undisclosed” political outfits.
He said details of the alliance partners would be made public “soon”.
“We are talking to several parties. The discussions are advanced and progressing well. Malawians will know the identities of these parties shortly,” said Mukhito in a brief interview.
His sentiments come amid growing political activity and speculation of potential coalitions as political players assess their individual electoral strengths ahead of the polls.
In a separate interview, UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala said the party was engaging various political stakeholders as part of pre-election preparations.
“Yes, we are having conversations with other political parties. At this point, we cannot disclose who they are, but we are exploring options for partnerships that align with our vision and values,” Njawala said.
On his part, Alliance for Democracy (Aford) president Enock Chihana said the party was ready to work with those who believe in democracy and want to uplift the lives of Malawians
“We are ready for [an] alliance in the forthcoming presidential election,” Chihana said
The renewed interest in alliances is not surprising to political observers, with many analysts noting that no single party currently commands widespread, broad-based national support.
Chancellor College-based political scientist Ernest Thindwa observed that while alliances may be seen as politically symbolic, the value they add, in terms of actual electoral gains, remains questionable.
“Based on electoral data from the past two election cycles, not many parties can convincingly claim to have a strong national appeal that could decisively shift the vote,” Thindwa said.
He argued that the main motivation behind the push for alliances was likely rooted in fear of going it alone, rather than a well-calculated move to gain additional decisive votes.
“In essence, the proposition of electoral alliances by major parties such as DPP or MCP [Malawi Congress Party] appears more defensive than strategic. Most minor parties do not possess the electoral base needed to influence the outcome significantly,” he said.
As the election date draws closer, the political landscape is expected to shift further, with more parties likely to declare their positions on possible alliances in the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) secretary general Richard Chimwendo Banda broke the party’s silence on the issue of a possible electoral partnership ahead of the September 16 general elections by saying that the best alliance was a partnership with Malawians.
He said that after, a few days before, UTM leader Dalitso Kabambe, Aford’s Chihana and United Democratic Front president Atupele Muluzi met to discuss the issue of a possible alliance.
That came shortly after opposition People’s Party leader Joyce Banda met with People’s Development Party leader Kondwani Nankhumwa, Freedom Party leader Khumbo Kachali and Malawi Forum for Unity and Development leader George Nnensa to strategise on the issue of a possible alliance.
However, there appears to be no movement on the part of the governing party in that regard.
Speaking during the opening of the 2025 tobacco marketing season at Kanengo in Lilongwe, the MCP chief executive officer said the party would soon open its doors for a possible partnership with other parties.
“Some [people] were asking me questions to say ‘we have heard your colleagues [saying they are] forming alliances, when is the MCP forming its alliance?’ So, I told them, ‘Don’t worry because alliance number one is buying tobacco from farmers at better prices. This is the biggest alliance.
“Alliance number two is building 140 health facilities so that women can access healthcare easily. Alliance number three is giving safe drinking water to Malawians so that they must not drink from dzithaphwi [cesspool]. Alliance number four is to give security to Malawians through the police so that people with albinism should never be killed again in Malawi,” Chimwendo Banda said.
He added that alliance number five was the construction of 11,000 school blocks so that no child should learn under a tree.
“The final alliance is uniting Malawians. That is an alliance. A real alliance is respecting chiefs, respecting culture. So, when we say ‘Come, let us work together’, we will just say: ‘Political parties, please come to respect the alliance that Chakwera has already set up in Malawi’.
“The best alliance is working with Malawians. The best alliance is uniting Malawians. Bwana President [Lazarus Chakwera], some will come and we will work with them. We will open doors but when they come, they should be those with whom we can work together to uplift Malawi. We don’t want [the] killing of people with albinism. We don’t know any tribalism,” Chimwendo Banda said.
But political analyst George Phiri said at the time that MCP was just living in denial.
According to Phiri, MCP was talking about forming an alliance with the people because it had trust issues, especially considering the way it handled the Tonse Alliance.
He said “it will be extremely hard” for MCP to find a political partner who can trust it after what happened with the Tonse Alliance.
“It is good that they want to partner with Malawians. Let the other political parties partner with fellow parties. After all, we are already in 2025 and September is just a few months away,” Phiri said.
