By Pemphero Malimba:
President Lazarus Chakwera has declared that he will stand again as State president in the September 16 2025 national elections.
Chakwera declared the candidacy Thursday during a development rally held in Traditional Authority Masambankhunda, Lilongwe, after launching the $350 million United States Millennium Challenge Account programme.
He said the country’s laws allow him to seek a second term of office.
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“Because the country’s laws allow that if a person has been in a position of President for five years he or she should seek another term, so I accepted and told the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) that my name should appear again on the ballot,” Chakwera said.
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He said he is ready to stand as president during the MCP elective convention scheduled for August this year.
“Allow those that may want to compete with me during the convention to do so,” he said.
Chakwera further spoke against the practice of nepotism.
“I will not work with people who practice nepotism. I will make sure that each and every part of the country should be reached with development projects. Those that have not been reached with development projects should not worry; their time will come,” he said.
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The President also preached unity at the rally.
“Let’s embrace forgiveness; let’s be tolerant so that we, as a country, should move forward,” Chakwera said.
Chakwera’s declaration comes at a time UTM, a major partner in the Tonse Alliance that joined hands with the MCP in the June 23 2020 court-ordered presidential election, is on record to have said Chakwera and UTM president Saulos Chilima agreed that the former would take over the presidential baton after Chakwera’s first five years of office.
In an interview Thursday, UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala refused to comment on Chakwera’s declaration.
“We, as UTM, cannot respond to whatever was said at an MCP rally; the same way MCP cannot respond to whatever is said at our rally,” Njawala said.
However, political analyst George Chaima said Chakwera’s declaration means there is no Tonse alliance anymore.
“Chakwera’s declaration, and this is very clear to the nation, means that there is no more alliance. There are no more agreements between Chilima and himself and it shows that that agreement does not hold water anymore unless something behind the scene is taking place,” Chaima said.
He said the move should act as a wakeup call to Chilima to start working on making his party vibrant.
“The Vice President Saulos Chilima must start working hard for his party in order to fight for his position in 2025,” he said
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Lilongwe Mapuyu South parliamentarian Esther Kathumba proposed that Chakwera should become a life president.
She said Chakwera was bringing development projects to all the districts of the country, hence the need for him to remain in power forever.
On his part, MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said Chakwera would continue running the country beyond 2025.
“People see the development projects that you are implementing Mr President and I am sure that they will be able to vote for you again,” Mkaka said.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has condemned the remarks by Kathumba, saying proposing lifetime presidency does not only go against the fundamental principles of democracy— which emphasises rotation of power—but also has the potential of destabilising the political landscape in the country.
“We urge President Chakwera to denounce such pronouncements, Let Malawi be led by a leader who is chosen by the majority. We believe that is what democracy entails,” reads CHRR’s statement signed by its executive director Michael Kaiyatsa.
During the June 23 2020 presidential election, Chakwera represented MCP under the Tonse Alliance, with Vice President Saulos Chilima of UTM running as running mate.
