As momentum builds towards the 16 September General Elections, political parties are intensifying their nationwide tours, seeking to woo potential voters.
For instance, the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has been consistently holding political events that attract large crowds across all regions of the country.
Through these engagements, MCP’s message is clear: reminding voters of the party’s achievements in delivering its manifesto, particularly in large-scale road infrastructure, and assuring registered voters of its commitment under the leadership of President Dr Lazarus Chakwera, who has steered the nation from hardship to prosperity with renewed hope.
MCP’s Secretary General, Richard Chimwendo Banda, accompanied by other members of the National Executive Committee, has travelled extensively across the country, engaging with electorates who hold the power to elect or remove leaders.
“We are confident that Malawians will vote for us in large numbers. Our President has delivered beyond imagination. Look at the good roads that we have delivered, look at Mega Farms spread across the country, pay attention to infrastructure all these are testament to our able leadership,” Banda said.
On the other hand, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has also been actively campaigning for a return to the State House, five years after being voted out.
Its politburo has been traversing the country in a bid to regain public trust.
“We have been to all the regions across the country asking voters to trust us again,” the party’s Secretary General Peter Mukhito explained.
People’s Party (PP) leader and former state president Joyce Banda as well as UTM leader and former Reserve Bank governor Dalitso Kabambe have been at the forefront of their respective parties’ campaigns, carrying the political weight on their shoulders.
“We will put in place measures to manage our economy. We will find district councils with billions to implement enormous projects that will help in the job creation drive,” he noted.
Unlike MCP and DPP, UTM and PP National Governing Council members rarely hold independent rallies with significant crowds, instead opting to accompany their leaders wherever they go.
A Blantyre-based political commentator, Caesar Kondowe, has since reminded all the parties on the need for an issue-based campaign message.
“Unlike previous elections, it seems stakes are high for the 2025 polls. Since January this year, political parties have been moving up and down appealing to registered voters to vote for their candidates but the question is what message are they sharing because that what matters,” he said.
And the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) says the 2025 general election is no ordinary political race.
According to MEC Director of Communications, Sangwani Mwafulirwa, the electoral process follows a strict, transparent, and merit-based procedure designed to ensure that all Malawians have a voice, no matter their size or influence.
Mwafulirwa states that the electoral body is thus far satisfied with how it has been conducting activities in readiness for the big day.
“Nothing will stand in the way of any registered voter to exercise the democratic responsibility to vote for leaders of choice. We are strictly following our elections calendar and everything is going as planned,” he said.
Slowly but surely, the journey to the September elections is progressing and one thing is clear: Malawians are looking forward to a peaceful atmosphere towards, during, and after the elections.
