MCP MPs Plot to Oust Chithyola in Opposition Leadership Coup

A storm is brewing within the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) as its Members of Parliament are set to meet tomorrow in what insiders describe as a coordinated plot to unseat current Leader of Opposition, Simplex Chithyola.

The meeting—confirmed by MCP Deputy Secretary General Gerald Kazembe—is officially being presented as a “constitutional exercise” under Standing Order 35, which requires the Leader of Opposition to be elected, not appointed. But behind the formal language, party insiders say the real agenda is clear: to block Chithyola from consolidating his authority in Parliament.

Kazembe, in a brief interview, said the caucus would choose “a suitable Leader of Opposition who can unite the party and prepare it to return to government in 2030.” Yet his carefully worded statement has only deepened suspicions that top party brass are uneasy with Chithyola’s rising influence and his open defiance of MCP’s inner circle.

“We want a parliamentary leadership that provides real checks and balances and speaks credibly on issues of the economy and corruption,” Kazembe said — a line some MPs read as a veiled jab at Chithyola’s perceived softness toward the ruling bloc.

The political tension follows last Friday’s dramatic announcement by Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman, who named Chithyola as Leader of Opposition ahead of the National Assembly’s opening by President Peter Mutharika. That decision caught many MCP MPs off guard and triggered panic within the party’s leadership, which fears losing grip on its parliamentary wing.

Kazembe refused to comment directly on Chithyola’s status, but sources close to the party say a faction of MCP loyalists believes Chithyola’s leadership could “derail the party’s 2030 comeback strategy” by aligning too closely with government priorities.

If tomorrow’s meeting goes ahead as planned, it could mark the start of an all-out internal battle within MCP—one that pits reformists calling for fresh leadership against loyalists rallying behind Chithyola’s legitimacy.

Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: the opposition bench is far from united, and the Malawi Congress Party’s internal cracks are now too visible to hide.

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