The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is facing increasing internal tensions as the 2025 general elections draw near, but party spokesperson Jessie Kabwila says President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is fully aware of the infighting and is keeping the party on course.
Speaking in an interview with The Nation, Kabwila acknowledged that the ruling party has experienced disagreements, particularly during its primary elections, but she insisted that the situation is under control.
“Yes, he (President Dr. Chakwera) is very aware,” Kabwila told The Nation when asked whether Chakwera knew about the internal tensions. “If you’ve been following the President’s speeches at the convention and in various forums, you will see that he is in full control.”
The MCP, Malawi’s oldest political party, has been showing cracks in its structure for months. From the fierce jostling ahead of last year’s party convention to ongoing disputes during primary elections in key constituencies, signs of division have become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Primary elections in several areas have reportedly been marred by complaints over fairness and allegations of imposed candidates. Meanwhile, tensions among senior party figures have spilled into the public, with ministers such as Richard Chimwendo Banda and Vitumbiko Mumba making controversial statements, some of which appeared to target each other.
This has led observers and political analysts to question whether the MCP, despite being in government, is politically stable enough to face the tightly contested September 16 elections.
Kabwila admitted there have been “internal disagreements and jostling” but dismissed suggestions that the party is collapsing.
“No honest MCP publicity secretary would refute that. But these issues are normal,” she told The Nation. “In any organisation where human beings are involved, expect differing views and occasional tensions.”
According to Kabwila, while some concerns raised by MCP aspirants during the primaries are legitimate, others are being exaggerated by opposition elements seeking to portray the party as chaotic.
She also defended the integrity of the primaries, pointing out that MCP is the only major party to have used secret ballots and taken steps to prevent vote tampering.
Despite clear friction among some ministers, Kabwila maintained that the Cabinet is united in its mission to re-elect President Chakwera and block the return of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“We are united by a shared passion to stop the DPP from returning to power,” she said. “We have intelligent individuals in the Cabinet, so naturally, we won’t always agree. But that doesn’t mean we are divided.”
She acknowledged that some public disagreements such as the trade spat involving Mumba and Tanzania should not have played out on social media. But she argued that such incidents occur even in mature democracies, including the United States.
With less than 130 days to go before Malawi’s highly anticipated general elections, Kabwila insisted that the MCP is focused and prepared for the campaign ahead. She described the internal differences as manageable and said the party leadership is working to resolve them soon.
“The issues are not as big as they are being portrayed. Let us avoid giving them undue mileage,” Kabwila urged.
She also reiterated that despite their differences, key party figures including those involved in recent disputes are still actively campaigning for the party and President Chakwera.
Kabwila’s remarks confirm what many political observers have suspected: President Chakwera is not only aware of the storm brewing within his party but is actively managing it.
