Malawi’s Mutharika suffers worst opinion poll ratings, Chakwera leads – CMD
President Peter Mutharika is suffering the worst opinion poll ratings a Head of State has ever experienced in power, according to the latest figures released on Wednesday by Central Media Development (CMD) limited.
The survey results made available to the media were finding on a political leader with the potential to win the heasrts and minds of Malawians and donors.
“Central Media Development Limited conducted a nationwide survey to establish which politician can attract the much needed donor confidence and take the country out of the economic turmoil being experienced after Malawi lost donor support,” the pollsters said.
The survey was conducted from September to November, 2016.
CMD Limited is believed to be owned by among others, Reuters correspondent Mabvuto Banda and used journalists and university students in its survey.
“The research was commissioned after noting that from mid-2014, no political survey has been commissioned to measure the political temperature, find out the popularity of some political figures, what potential do they have to take Malawi forward.
“This was also against the background of a lot of political osmosis and major political parties seemingly having power struggles. There are several developments that point at people positioning themselves for the position of presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections.
“However, it should be noted that any politician who is going to carry the day in the next general election should be able to win the hearts and minds of both the electorate and the donor community in Malawi,” said the pollsters in their results.
It said the fight against official corruption and corrupt practices in general should be part of the political statement.
“ It became apparent that the public are looking at issue based politics since they have discovered the vital role of that sound economic plans play well in national development As such the respondents nationwide were approached with such questions,” said CMD Limited.
According to the published results in the poll, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Dr.Lazarus Chakwera has “a comfortable grip” of the southern region (46%)while President Mutharika picked up 4% of the vote, former presidet Joyce Banda picked (15%) in while those voting for candidate under the “others” category registered 2%.
“From this result, it is clear that theMalawi Congress Party has gained a lot of political capital due to the weak economic environment prevailing in the country. In addition, the name of Mr. Sadik Mia has contributed to the performance of the party which had less support ever since late Gwanda Chakuamba left the party in 2004 and formed his then Republican Party. The support in the lower Shire, Blantyre and the East belt has come about with Mr.Mia,” reads the poll.
It said Mutharika has lost grip due to the constant electricity power cuts that has affected every person since even in the villages they need power to run maize mills.
The price of the staple has contributed to his bad performance in the southern region.
In the 10 district covered in the Central Region survey, Chakwera has a moderate lead at 42%, Mutharika polled 6 %.
“The survey noted that the dwindling of the tobacco market and the poor price of the leaf is part of this poor outcome. The then famous agriculture subsidy seems to be losing focus since the central region though being a great farming area is being shunned at the expense of the Shire Highlands where the fertilizer is sold to commercial farmers.
In the north, Chakwera has a steady lead with 41% of the vote.
It said the performance of the DPP is rather weak in the region as reflected by Mutharika’s performance of 5%
“It is important to note that the Northern Region has the largest number of ‘other’ or undecided voters. There is a ‘wait and see ‘stand,” said the pollseters.
The overall performance at national level shows Chakwera has a lion’s share with one 160) respondents saying he is the politician who can attract donor support and confidence and remove the country from the weak economic environment representing 42% of the electorate.
Mutharika trai l in fourth position with 503 respondents representing 10% of the survey and “other” politicians with 172 respondents finishing the final 4%.
MCP and DPP spokespersons asked for more time to comment on the poll as they had not seen it at the time of going online with this article.
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The majority of dpp supporters here are suffering together with opposition supporters. 2019 will be for a Malawian leader not a tribal leader. Sugar akakwera mtengo amakwera Malawi yense sakondera kumuzi kapena chigawo chomwe amachokera president. President wanzeru, wodana ndi corruption
Malawi wamzeru wokondedwa ndi ma donors. 2019 is for a corrupt free leader who can attract donors.
Why don’t you just say the survey was done by Mabvuto Banda? You are mentioning REUTERS so that it should carry weight as if reuters reporters were participating in this rubbish?
Mukufuna kumupusitsa m’dala Chakwera bwanji? Mukufuna kumulowa m’thumba, alibe ndalama ameneyo. The man himself knows that he will never ascend to that seat.
Hahahahahaha ask Hillary Clinton about opinion polls
zosangalatsa MCP 46% and mutharika 4% ku southern region? kkkkkkkkkkkkkklkk mwinadi
Umm… No.
Well, yes; anything is possible. But can people of the South vote for “Congress”? Doubtful. VERY doubtful.
Inu a MCP, please wake up from your deep slumber and join us as we continue the struggle for a Federal Malawi.
Look, MCP, if DPP was able to steal an election from a sitting govt, can they not be even more daring in 2019? With their vending, these guys are street-wise.
Ma survey pa Nyasaland, those who did the survey should come out on the real figures. you are short of truth in the whole thing. north: APM-5%, LC-41%; mmmmmm!!!!!!! so that add up to 100%,sorry. Centre; LC-42%, APM-6 again.masamu mupange bwino. Ndiye chinyengo chimenecho.
DPP will obviously dismiss this and they are good at that. But times change and people thinking changes as well. If I were one of the DPP stalwarts I would check the party’s self righteousness approach to issues. There is some message being delivered here. People are fed up with empty rhetoric. They need real stuff on the ground. You can cheat some people sometime but not all the times.
Whatever the case, DPP is going to win in 2019 – believe you me. Hope you will remember my words in May 2019.
I do know why ppo shud fabricate stories. In all fairness DPP can get 4%!!! hahahaha ngati akupatsani ndalama Chakwera ingodyani wawa. When we talk of problems its something that is always with us everywhere be it in churches, houses, organizations, etc. This does not make one to resign or loose position but together they make it moving. So mukasowa zochita just remain silent. This has just reminded me when Bingu at UDF convention was chosen whereby he competed with Dosi, Nga Ntafu, Aleke. And the results showed that Bingu won with 55 votes while the rest zero vote each a thing that can NOT happen bcoz the contester can not vote for somebody at least it could make sense when they would have said Aleke 1, Nga Ntafu 1 and Dosi 1 then Bingu 52. This was cooked bcoz Bingu then was imposed and ena wonse anali madeya u know very well. So here its the same thing if anything ur figures could be Chakwera 38%, Peter 24%, JB 15%, Atupele 9% and 14% for the rest of parties. May you educate me 46% and 4% does this make 100%? masamu ake akuti please dont use the name university students to tarnish their image. Inunso musamangokhala ndi atambwali woterewa. You talk of Mia; shame! Mia anathawa Bingu atamwalira the same day is this a person who can his ppo?
it baffles me to think that some one with a sound mind, who claims to love Malawi still wants this pathetic, proud for nothing, gigantic monumental stupid leadership like this to continue in Power when a poor Malawian is failing to buy a bag of maize …. isn’t that wickedness at its maximum level? do you care for others or yourself?
uku NDE timati kudzichita. kapena kuti maloto a chumba kkkkkkkk
This so called opinion poll is trash and useless, come with alternative way on how we can build and progress our country Malawi together. So if you will claim Chakwera is popular over our Great APM is that a solution to the Nyasa? forsake! to hell with that biased opinion poll, DPP ndi fire tigwirabe ntchito kukonza zinthu pa Nyasa pano. VIVA APM! VIVA DPP!!! VIVA Malawi
maloto achumba kapena kuti kudzichita n’chala.DPP ndi power.
Pakadafunda panajiwitsa galu.O Peter onzanuwo odzakuthawani mutaluza mu 2019.Bwanji osangosyedelatu mphasha zisinabvute?
In a First world country America, polls indicated Hillary Clinton leading. College votes results favoured Trump raising many whys. Proven;polls can not be a true barometer for parties to rely on and boast about.
Only through the campaign and general election or referendum can one get a true reflections of people’s choices.
Again don’t forget that we have DPP, MCP and UDF die hards that can not be swayed an inch by what ever message though sensible it may be. Don’t be deceived or your nerves will burst come 2019.
Others will faint come 2019, disbelief will turn into shock because this walking devil called dpp will be teminated in few years time whether Chambe and his compatriots who are dpp die hards believe it or not. GOD IS IN CONTROL
I am not surprised because I can easily conclude that Peter Mutharika and the whole DPP are useless. It was very absurd and sheer madness for Francis Mphepo and company to organize a press conference to counter and denounce what honorable Chakwera suggested to Peter mutharika as solutions to the country’s problems and the shortfalls the Malawian leader has. This shows how empty-headed the current leadership is.
Whether one likes it or not, what honorable Chakwera articulated was a reflection of what Malawians are experiencing in reality, and it is a mockery to the citizenry for the likes of Mphepo and company to try to correct the shortcomings on the regime. Malawi belongs to everyone and no one should try to fool the country that everything is well.
The most pleasing thing to note about Chakwera’s leadership is his pioneering of the ATI bill. He applauded its passing while DPP gurus were giving credit to Peter Mutharika as if he was the one sweating for its passing,what kind of nonsense is this? This is why we are agitating for the extinction of old leadership in Malawi because it has failed us and enjoys “praise singing” from followers. Chakwera is my man and represents the new generation. What he said, I believe, emanates from his own convictions and deserves appreciation instead of condemnation as demonstrated by the DPP. The DPP sidemen of APM sounded like the politiburo of the defunct Soviet Union with no substance but anger and hatred against Lazarus Chakwera but blind loyalty to Peter Mutharika ; the question is, aren’t the people suffering? another question is, isn’t there rampant corruption in Malawi and what is Peter Mutharika doing? Isn’t he entertaining thieves in his cabinet?
What makes Chakwera exceptional at this point in time is understanding that the same ATI bill he is nodding to would haunt him if he subscribed to the non-transparent style of leadership in the event that he takes over the reigns of power from Peter Mutharika in 2019-that’s being a true democrat off-shooting from a historically severely conservative party that never recognized the precipitations of democracy. I can only say that if what honorable Chakwera pointed out as ills in Mutharika’s administration is what he wouldn’t practice as a president, then God should bless him to lead our country. Politicians are well known for flipflopping. What they can say today they can not practice tomorrow.
What Malawi needs is a true transformational leader or president who would deny himself and sacrifice for the country, not living big and not resting until people have basic necessities in abundance. Malawi doesn’t need a leader who doesn’t know what to offer to the people and who only thinks that his own tribesmen are superior to others. In Lazarus Chakwera, I see sacrifice, servant leadership, and disciplined leadership. Disciplined leadership erases corruption and believes in efficiency in government operation; it sets standard procedures for serving the people effectively with an eye for accelerated development.
Well articulated-I can’t agree more
Take cover! heads begin to roll.
TULUTSANI MA OPINION
POLL AMENE
KOMA DPP NDI DEAL
POKUBA MAVOTIWO
MUZALIRA
NDALAMA ZA CASHGATE
ZIZAGWIRA NCHITO
TSAMALANI !!
who can vote for DPP mwina enawa omwa Chikoka. Chipanichi chalephera basi. No doubt CHAKWERA will win.
Palibe m’bale…
There are many who can vote for DPP thats why kuli multiparty bambo so that ppo no matter what shud have choice. If anything then lets have one party system whereby will be assured that only one party will be supported by every malawian. Baba wosamawonetsa ignorance pa social media apa aa!
NAFENSO KUNO KUMWERA
TIKULIRA NJALA GUYS
TISAFERE ZA Eeeeni
Iyaasaaaa !!!
kkkkkkkkkkkk mukunama DPP ndi 2050 ikulamulira
This is great. Let’s have another opinion poll towards the end of next year as well as 2018. It’s bound to fluctuate, though in favour of the opposition leader unless the 7 ministers suspected to be named in the K577 billion cashgate report are brought to justice and the price of the staple food (maize) is lowered to the advantage of the people living in villages as they are key to elections. In addition, between now and the beginning of 2019, no university college should be closed. As at now, the poll results should give Lazarous greater impetus & leverage to criticize the governing party more constructively.
The survey and /or the results are laughable. And meaningless, considering we are three years away from the real (not imaginary) elections.
The North has the most undecided voters? So what? The population is so small that …
APM in single digit numbers?
Joisi Banda at 15%?
Is this piece prepping or softening Malawians for the return of Joisi Banda? Won’t work, period.
Bao players simply don’t believe these “stats”. Not reflected by the picture in the villages.
Let MCP rest and relax based on this; but at their own peril. At crunch time, Malawi elections are mostly predictable, to the extent a political party does NOT need opinion polls. Each Party has ears pretty close to the ground.
Waste of time … this survey. Even if the methodology of this survey was credible, recent elections results have confounded many in various parts of the world; places with what was thought to be the most advanced science on polling.
We are 2 years 4 months away from the next elections and not 3 years away. Sorry, your days in government are fast fading.
@ “citizen”: “koma abale…” here.
FYI, there is a difference between “three” and “3” years, in terms of exactitude. The former being a rough figure.
This the greatest news I have heard since this country became independent in 1964.
This comment is supposed to be on Traffic Police Spot fines. I don;t understand how Nyasa Times page code has taken my comment to a political article. Editor, redirect it to the correct article and not this survey thing, please.
Mukunama heavy ndipo a C CHANI KAYA, Musamaname hu can vote for CHAKWERA? ANTHU 160 KKK KULI ANTHU DPP ILAMULILABE
Chisilu iwe
Surely MCP developed this country and has never been involved in getting cash which sometime you call as Cash get. Lets try it to see the betterment from donors as Peter is shielding his fellow …..
tiyeni nazo!!!!!!!!!!! wina azalira 2019.
Its obvious chakwera will win and become our president in 2019 watch the space.
How is it going to be 2019 with DDP/APM? It is wise for Malawians to try MCP. If u want donors come back. But If u want to continue where u are be stupid vote for DDP. The man has NO leadership. His brother had. He will be too old by 2019 and 5 years. Malawians like a person just for His title prof. If today they ask Malawians about APM If he should continue to be a president majority of Malawians will say NO. Malawi need a leader. APM does not lead. ADP just live luxury life on the cost of poor Malawians. This is ok for Malawians Who dont know what a leader should do. Its so sad.