Malawi descent into anarchy: Analysts advise Mutharika to share power

A political analyst has advised President Peter Mutharika to initiate dialogue with the opposition, saying the violent protests and boycott of the state of the nation address by legislators are signs of political anarchy.

The booing, heckling, bench-banging and shouts by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators were directed at the President for allegedly securing his re-election victory through rigging and fraud.

Augustine Magolowondo, a political scientist at Chancellor College of the University of Malawi  and was in parliament when opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators heckled Mutharika before boycotting the Sona, said this was a clear indication that Malawi is now a divided nation.

“The action is a clear indication that the opposition does not accept the results of the election. There was state of chaos in parliament,” said Magolowondo.

He said the action by the MCP MPs was a reflection of the kind of politics the country is now experiencing.

“It is now time the leadership came out and united the nation. This requires more than political rhetoric,” said Magolowondo.

Magolowondo said the President should always use the language which inspires hope and that heals the political wounds the opposition are going through following allegations that the presidential vote was manipulated in favour of Mutharika.

Newspaper columnist Backbencher stated on Saturday that he fears “tremor of disunity.”

The columnist in Weekend Nation wrote that the massive turnout in all the cities on Thursday of angry Malawians calling for Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Jane Ansah to go, left no doubt in my mind that as a nation we are heading the wrong direction.

“But as a Southerner, I have never felt more insecure in the Centre and North. Without drumming up telltale signs of a nation being torn apart, I’d like to say a political system where a minority government exercises sovereign authority in a winner-takes-all manner is the reason peace and unity are being threatened.

“Simply put, no group of Malawians fought colonialism and dictatorship so they could be colonised by another group under the multiparty political dispensation,” wrote Backbencher, whole urging President Mutharika to share power and the national cake equitably.

Key poll contestants MCP and UTM have moved the Constitutional Court to nullify the presidential results and order a re-run.

However, the President and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) say they won the election fairly and squarely.

MCP officials and supporters have lately been holding protests following the announcement of presidential results three weeks ago.

MCP and UTM, last week, joined nationwide protests organised by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition, which is seeking the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Jane Ansah, allegedly for mishandling the election, partly by allowing a tampering of some ballot tally sheets and related documents with the liquid white collection fluid  called tippex.

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