By Burnett Munthali
Two of Malawi’s biggest opposition parties formed an electoral alliance for the May 19 2020 polls. The two parties were behind the lawsuit that prompted a court to throw out 2019 election results and order a rerun of the vote. The ruling party also formed an alliance, setting up a fierce battle for presidency.
Announcing the alliance, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and United Transformation Movement (UTM) said they would soon sign an agreement and pick candidates for president and other posts.s
In February 2020, UTM formed a team to hold alliance talks with Malawi Congress Party (MCP) ahead of the 2020 fresh elections. UTM spokesperson, Dr. Joseph Chidanti Malunga, confirmed that a team had been set up. According to Malunga, they wanted to engage the MCP to discuss how the two parties could work together. He added that the party would also seek people’s views on the possible alliance with MCP.
In March 2020, After weeks of candid political discussions between two political ideologies, leaders of the Malawi Congress Party and the UTM parties finally put pen to paper an understanding binding them to an electoral alliance ahead of fresh presidential election as ordered by the constitutional court. Thousands of followers of the two parties took to the streets of Lilongwe city in a march that begun from Civo Stadium through OLD Town and Biwi and Kawale townships before they converged at Kamuzu Institute for Sports where the grand ceremony took place. Director of Youth in the MCP Richard Chimwendo Banda told the gathering at the start of the parade “This is the start of an unstoppable journey to redeeming our nation.
“We will march through town peacefully to show to the world the power of unity as together; MCP and UTM shall represent the aspirations of the majority of Malawians,” he said.
The parade snaked through town with thousands clad in either MCP or UTM colours. MCP president Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and his UTM counterpart Dr. Saulos Chilima presided over the ceremony a week after their camps acknowledged an agreement to this effect. The two leaders emerged on a public platform after a 61-day fellowship when they both appeared at the Constitutional Court in Lilongwe where the presidential election case was heard. It was expected that either Chakwera or Chilima would lead the alliance as presidential candidate with the other in tail as running-mate in the political marriage that saw MCP vice president Sidik Mia and his UTM counterparty Dr. Michael Usi sacrifice their dreams for the state vice presidency. The political union of the two parties meant the coming together of other political parties such as the Peoples’ Party, Freedom Party, Afford, Mafunde, PPM and Umodzi Party, among other.
UTM agreed to partner the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) in the May 19, 2020 presidential elections. UTM spokesperson Chidanti Malunga confirmed the alliance in a press statement which was also signed by Secretary General Patricia Kaliati. Malunga said the party’s president Saulos Chilima had been given the task of concluding the final details of the alliance agreement on behalf of all UTM members.
He added that a signing ceremony would take place on March 19 in Lilongwe. According to Malunga, UTM members appreciated the importance of unity among all Malawians irrespective of political persuasions.
He further said that there was support for a united front of Malawians who were not happy with the state of affairs at that time. The alliance meant two of the candidates who contested in the nullified 2019 presidential elections had joined forces.
It was clear that the two – Chilima and MCP leader Chakwera – were both interested in the presidency. What was not clear was who would be the torchbearer for the MCP-UTM alliance in the 2020 elections. Previous reports had shown that Chakwera would lead the alliance with Chilima becoming runningmate. In the nullified presidential elections, Chakwera amassed 1,781,740 votes while Chilima got 1,018,369.
In July 2022, The agreement between Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM for the 2020 Malawi Presidential Elections involving Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima leaked. Vice President Saulos Chilima claimed during a press conference that the two parties agreed to rotate the presidency between the UTM leader and MCP’s Lazarus Chakwera. In reaction, MCP hit back saying Chilima was imagining things.
