MCP says God has anointed Chakwera to be next Malawi president: Speaker rejects Dausi’s point of order

Dowa East legislator Richard Chimwendo Banda (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) has said MCP presidential hopeful Dr Lazarus Chakwera the torchbearer for the grand opposition Tonse alliance with Vice-President Saulos Chilima of UTM Party as his running, are heading for victory in the court-sanctioned fresh presidential elections slated for June 23.

Chimwendo Banda said this in Parliament while quoting the holy books of the Bible and the Quran, saying leaders are put in the office by God Almighty.

“No one in this country has the authority to change what God has put in place. I, therefore, stand in this House to declare that God in heaven has anointed Dr Lazarus Chakwera and Dr Saulos Chilima to take over the reins of power of this country come 24th June, 2020,” said Chimwendo Banda attracting applause from the opposition benches.

He said the House passed the resolution to have elections on June 23 because the courts ruled that the elections should be held within 150 days from February 3 and the expiry date is July 3.

Chimwendo Banda by July 3 if the country fails to hold elections, “there will be no President in Malawi.”

He said Tonse Alliance does not want Malawi to find itself in a constitutional crisis hence they swiftly opted to name the polling date, which has since been gazetted by the Malawi Electoral Commission.

On the issue of majority vote of 50 percent plus one vote to win, Chimwendo Banda said Tonse Alliance will not get 50+1 but 90+1.

He said President Peter Mutharika is a “care taker President” and warned that he will not be allowed to stay on after July 3.

“No one should be threatened here that come 3 rd July, somebody will be called treasonous. No! That will not happen,” said tough talking Chimwendo Banda.

But Minister of Homeland Security Nicholous Dausi described Chimwendo’s statement as “full of platform podium antics and grand standing.”

He said: “There was nothing substantive that has been said.”

However, Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara told Dausi off, saying MP Chimwendo Banda   is allowed to make a statement the way he wants.

“You cannot tell him what is substantive and what is not substantive. That’s what he thinks is substantive. So, it is not up to you to judge; to say this is substantive or not. That’s what you thought is substantive.

“So, you are out of order, Hon. Minister of Homeland Security,” ruled the Speaker.

Under the MCP banner, Chakwera is torchbearer for  the ‘Tonse Alliance’ which includes  UTM, People’s Party, Freedom Party, Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (Mafunde), People’s Progressive Movement (PPM), Umodzi Party, Alliance for Democracy (Aford) and People’s Transformation (Petra).

According to Chakwera,  God has given Malawi the Tonse Alliance of 9 parties to “tear down the walls that divide us and build the bridges needed to unite us. That is destiny.”

Chakwera, a former church cleric,  is the main challenger of President Peter Mutharika of governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).