President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday 30 July 2025 announced Vitumbiko Mumba as his running mate in the 16 September General Election, a move which can be seen as both strategic and cautious, especially in the context of both intraparty politics within the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Malawi nation at large.
While Mumba’s selection did not come as a major surprise, it is notable, given his constituency’s fraught political landscape. Mzimba Central Constituency was recently plagued by disputes, prompting the MCP to withdraw from fielding an official candidate and instead encouraging contenders to run as independents.
Obviously, for a party to make this decision on the choice of running mate, careful considerations were made so as to preserve unity and avoid deepening divisions ahead of the polls.
Let us compare Dr Chakwera’s political maneuver and the recent decisions by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Former president, Peter Mutharika, who is seeking a return to State House, named former Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Dr. Jane Ansah as his running mate. However, Dr. Ansah is also contesting for a parliamentary seat in Ntcheu North West Constituency, a constituency which was entangled in its own internal party strife. Memories are still etched in people’s minds of how Ansah, then MEC chairperson, led a messy election in 2019 that culminated in a court ruling in February 2020, ordering that a fresh poll be held.
In the Ntcheu scenario, tensions erupted during the DPP’s primary elections, where Dr. Ansah faced off against former vice president Everton Chimulirenji. After the party nullified the results, Chimulirenji, long seen as a loyalist and known by his moniker Adzonzi, opted to leave the party altogether to join UTM, a party he once vocally opposed.
This turn of events is questionable, especially on whether the DPP missed an opportunity to reconcile its internal factions. Could the party have struck a balance by nominating Dr. Ansah as Mutharika’s running mate while allowing Chimulirenji to pursue his parliamentary ambitions uncontested? Many believe this would have preserved party unity and avoided the loss of a seasoned political figure to a rival camp.
As both major parties gear up for the elections, it is unclear whether DPP will recover from the fallout. But for now, Chakwera’s cautious gamble may give MCP a crucial edge.
Chakwera’s decision appears to reflect an effort to manage internal dynamics more tactfully. By keeping Catherine Gotani Hara as MCP vice president and moving Mumba to the presidential ticket, he seems to have balanced the party’s leadership while rewarding Mumba’s stellar performance in government.
