President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) painted the capital city, Lilongwe red with a grand, electrifying launch of their 2025 campaign and manifesto at a jam-packed Bingu National Stadium.
On the other hand, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was busy staging a bizarre, almost comical birthday bash for their ailing presidential candidate Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) behind the high walls of his Nyambadwe residence.
If ever there was a moment that separated real leadership from desperation, vision from confusion, and progress from paralysis, this was it.
On July 19, 2025, MCP did not just launch a manifesto and September elections campaign; they launched a movement. Thousands of supporters, particularly the youth, marched proudly to the national stadium, showing unwavering loyalty and excitement.
The venue was filled to the brim, a sea of red, green and black, chanting slogans of hope, unity, and transformation.
The MCP manifesto, unveiled with surgical precision and professionalism, lays out a detailed vision for Malawi’s future.
From economic restoration, infrastructure expansion, food security, and youth employment, to deepening democratic governance and fighting corruption. Chakwera’s plan is as bold as it is actionable. He spoke like a statesman, not a politician begging for votes. He presented policies, not platitudes. He projected hope, not hatred.
“This is a government ready to govern. There is no confusion. There is no chaos. Just clarity,” one political analyst noted.
Compare that to the DPP’s calendar on the same day; 19th July.
Instead of unveiling policies, the DPP unveiled a birthday cake.
Instead of launching a campaign, the DPP first launched a PR disaster, a feeble attempt to spin the deteriorating health of their 85-year-old (now they say 86) presidential candidate by releasing a poorly lit photo of APM meeting a foreign diplomat, Amy Diaz, who was in town to bid farewell to presidential candidates.
No campaign message. No vision. No call to action. Just forced smiles and choreographed social media posts from a party grasping at straws to remain relevant.
If Peter Mutharika is as strong and fit as DPP spin-doctors claim, why isn’t he on the ground campaigning? Why hasn’t he appeared in public, addressing thousands, debating ideas, or even moving around the country? Why was the party so engrossed in hyping up a single picture as if that is enough to energize the electorate?
When a picture becomes bigger news than a political plan, that is not strategy, it’s surrender.
Then came another disaster. The birthday party celebration in honour of the old man who was visibly absent, literary, during the whole celebration. The party room was filled with balloons, music and dancing. And APM indeed joined the dance floor, visibly distant and absent minded though. Even Gertrude, his wife, looked so lost.
It would be laughable if it wasn’t tragic. The DPP, once the ruling party, has reduced itself to an aging cult of personality that thrives on nostalgia and denial. The obsession with convincing Malawians that APM is “strong” based on a few images, after months of silence, medical evacuations, and absent leadership, is an insult to the intelligence of voters.
Why not let the man speak for himself? Why not unveil a campaign trail with rallies and manifesto launch?
Could it be that he simply can’t?
Could it be that even the party knows he is unfit for the task?
Could it be that the only thing DPP is capable of offering Malawians in 2025 is birthday balloons and throwback rhetoric?
Contrast again with what MCP is offering, a document backed by ideas, tested leadership, and demonstrable achievements. Chakwera did not wait for campaign season to start building roads, fixing broken systems, and reforming the civil service.
He has already overseen: the rollout of major infrastructure projects; increased access to affordable fertilizer through AIP reforms; major strides in electricity generation; and increased diplomatic credibility on the international stage
His manifesto only builds on this, promising deeper reforms and broader inclusion.
And it’s not just about words, it’s about structure.
MCP’s campaign machine is clearly humming like a well-oiled engine. Youth coordinators, media teams, regional mobilizers, and policy spokespeople have hit the ground with precision. The party is organized, confident, and focused.
DPP on the other hand is a party in crisis. Its campaign director, Chimwemwe Chipungu, has not issued a national campaign calendar. Its candidate is yet to face Malawians on a political podium; all he can afford are staged appearances.
Its top-tier candidates in Parliamentary election like Norman Chisale and Alfred Gangata are either battling fraud allegations or fighting internal power struggles. Its manifesto remains missing in action, three weeks before the polls.
Instead of confronting their failures and offering solutions, DPP leaders are clinging to photos, blaming the government for everything, and pretending that APM is still the man he was a decade ago.
But Malawians have changed.
They are smarter.
They are watching.
And they are asking the right questions. What is the party hiding not to bring APM on the political front to campaign like what Dr. Chakwera is doing leading his troops on the campaign trail?
If APM is well and capable of running for the highest office, why hasn’t he addressed a rally?
Why hasn’t he spoken publicly beyond short, scripted and staged video clips?
Why hasn’t the party launched a real campaign?
Why is a birthday party being passed off as political strength?
Because behind the staged photos and carefully filtered images, the DPP knows one thing: Mutharika is no longer electable.
As it stands, MCP is the only party offering real content, real leadership, and real energy. Even critics are beginning to concede that the September election could be over before it even begins, if the opposition continues sleepwalking.
MCP and the central region has one candidate: Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera.
The opposition and the southern region has 10. Each selfish, suspicious of the other, and scrambling for crumbs.
As Aford President Enoch Chihana rightly said in Bangwe, “The opposition’s biggest enemy is itself.”
While they bicker and sabotage each other, Dr. Chakwera is pulling ahead, one policy promise at a time.
The drama in the DPP is no longer amusing; it’s sad.
Malawi deserves better. Even those who do not support MCP should demand a real opposition that campaigns, debates, and presents ideas, not one that celebrates birthdays while the country’s future is at stake.
The party of Mutharika is running out of time, out of ideas, and most dangerously out of honesty.
As MCP surges ahead with rallies, policies, and purpose, DPP needs to decide: Is it running a campaign or staging a photo opportunity for their leader?
