PP favour alliance with MCP:  Joyce Banda to withdraw from presidential race

March 14, 2019 Wanga Gwede- Nyasa Times 49 Comments

People’s Party (PP) national executive committee (NEC) members are meeting at the residence of former president Joyce Banda to discuss a possible electoral combination with Malawi Congress Party (MCP)  to compete as one force in the coming elections continue, Nyasa Times understands.

Joyce Banda has let PP national executive committee members to meet and discuss as about electoral coalition in the coming elections

There has been speculation that Banda would pull out of presidential race with her running mate Dr Jerry Jana to pave way for an opposition coalition.

Banda invited PP executive members to a meeting to discuss the electoral combination.

Nyasa Times understand that the former president has had talks this week with UTM party patron Noel Masangwi persuading her party to return to negotiating table with  the Vice President Saulos Chilima and UTM party for an alliance.

She is also reported to have had discussion with MCP presidential flag bearer Lazarus Chakwera for a long time on working together in the elections.

During the NEC meeting, Banda has left the members with the two issues to discuss.

However, following the breakdown of an earlier working relationship with UTM, the members are favouring MCP partnership.

Banda has maintained that opposition parties should select a joint candidate in this year’s presidential election to unseat President Peter Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and that she would be ready to “turn the page” and let a formidable candidate lead.

If this happens, that alliance could pose the most credible challenge to President Mutharika, the flag bearer of the ruling DPP.

Banda, who served as Malawi’s first female president from 2012 to 2014, has said she is prepared not to run and back the electoral alliance for Malawi to “have a good leader who is able to decisively deal with various problems the country if facing.”

She said  a coalition “should be the best option” as has been the case in many countries.

Banda ‘s PP  can make a strong showing in the northern and eastern regions, while MCP has support in central region stronghold and now southern Lower Shire with its running mate Sidik Mia .

New party UTM of Chilima has never been politically tested despite having high profile personalities in his party.

Political commentators say political coalitions must be for Malawi’s, pointing out that votes on May 21 2019  are likely to be fragmented with no real majority winner.

Zomba-based Institute of Public Opinion and Research (Ipor)  in a survey between August and September 2018 indicated DPP is poised to take 33 percent of the votes, followed by MCP with 31 percent and UTM Party with 28 percent and PP trailing a distant six percent.

It therefore makes sense that opposition parties aiming to unseat the current government opt for an alliance as PP would boost MCP numbers to cross the line. Former vice president Khumbo Kachali and his Freedom Party are already in support of MCP presidential ticket.

University of Malawi’s Chancellor College-based political commentator Ernest Thindwa has observed that opposition parties “stand better to benefit a lot from an electoral coalition.”

Social commentator Stanley Onjezani Kenani  is on record to have posted on Facebook: “I think the former president, Mrs Joyce Banda, is the only voice of reason in a crowded opposition field. She says she is open to the idea of a coalition. She does not mind who leads it. The truth is, the murderous DPP can only be defeated if the opposition rallies behind one candidate. But egos the size of Kilimanjaro will, once again, hand victory to thieves.”

Malawi, one of the world’s poorest and most aid-dependent countries, will hold presidential, parliamentary and local council elections on May 21.

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49 replies on “PP favour alliance with MCP:  Joyce Banda to withdraw from presidential race”

  1. Both of them they could not win the election but now they put ruling party in a back foot. Ruling will regret 50+ and federal system of Government they rejected. Its the time they could benifits now if they did put greedy aside

  2. So all she wants is a position?? and for positions for her family members?? And they gave her just that… wow. Chakwera can’t stand on his own two feet then. He doesn’t work well under pressure.. the country will then collapse under his rule. After all there are a whole bunch of cashgaters he just gave power.. a lot of power. We need to vote for someone better

  3. Tsono H5 ndi Mphambvu zithat bwanji kikikikikikikik, ……..Mwalephela kukhala nzimayi sichifukwa??? ….. Abiti Mtila mwachepa

  4. I thought Mr Chakwera was a principled individual until now, MCP yabooka zedi, ingotolera ziri zonse

  6. hmmmmmmmm with only 2 months to go, Abiti Mtila must be extremely desperate, will do anything for her son Roy Akajuwe Banda, So what happens to Mr Jana

  8. Mama ulemu wanu. We need a formidable force to fight and restore Malawi from this Phillistian. We expect the same from Chlima.
    Wakwiya ndi mfiti.

  15. Abhiti Kazhigheti kusokoneza aMalawi. What does she want? Alliance to bring together achawa, achipeta ndi atumbuka against South Malawi instead o,f working towards uniting the country. What a shame. Dunderhead woman.

  19. MCP joining with CASHGATE party will just taint all the gains that MCP has made. MCP has done a lot to rebrand from the old MCP, now this will take it a step back

    1. I don’t think so, should MCP offered PP vice president seat maybe that would’ve been the case.

  21. Kugwesa DPP kukufunika nonse (UTM, PP n MCP mukhale corner imodzi limodzi ndi APAM) otherwise opposition is just outsmarting yourselves)

  22. Amayi, just know that Malawians are ready to support the new president in what form he comes in. Whether repeating the current president or putting in office the new president, will be the choice of Malawians. What you should bear in mind is that, Malawians will never sit and watch without concluding cashgate case which you initiated. I want to remind you that, the people who you involved in the Cashgate scandal, some are still languishing in prisons, some waiting for their cases to be concluded and some even died after failing to stand the heat of Cashgate. Yet you are there still enjoying with your husband in bed everyday. Any president that comes to office whether current or one supported with your coalition will be loved by Malawians but will not be tolerated if he puts you in the back. If that president show us signs that he wants to defend you, I assure you Malawians will put him to task until he is chased away. The same way your friends have suffered, you will face likewise. Trust me, any president that shields you will also face it. I swear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  23. I think it’s a wise decision considering the fact that PP cannot win the election.. However, I fear if JB & her gurus join MCP.. In one way or another might bring confusion into the party & not only votes.. Dyela lama udindo once MCP is voted into power come 21st May

  24. I think it’s a wise decision considering the fact that PP cannot win the election.. However, I fear if JB & her gurus join MCP.. In one way or another might bring confusion into the party & not only votes.. Dyela lama udindo once MCP is voted into power come 21st May

  25. This is totally PP taking over MCP, look at MCP’s NEC mostof them formerly PP members and leaders. Apa ndiye mukunthidwa, chifukwa si wonse masapota a PP omwe angabwere ku mgwirizano umenewu. Kumbukilani kuti PP ndi mwana wa DPP omwe safuna kunva chirichonse chokhuzana ndi MCP, apapa ndiye abweleranso kwa kholo lawo. Ndipo ena ambiri a MCP apita akawonjezere ka nambala ka masapota a UTM. Chakwera sadzalamula dzoko la Malawi, mwayi wake wautaya.

    2. Lets wait and for elections basi , zidzaoneka koma ndikhulupilira ena atuluka nazo thukuta kkkkkkkk

  26. The IPOR survey did not give Chilima 28% . Was it not 17%?

    Chakwera already winning as things stand. Joyce Banda will make Chakwera’s victory more pronounced.

  27. what value will some old lady (who left the country for four years, went into hibernation , whose party has no structures on the ground and betrayed the UTM just prior to submission of the nomination papers) bring to the Mighty Malawi Cngress Party? just leave her out in the cold

  28. Amai soooo desperate to ensure that DPP loses come May 2019. Mwachoka ku UTM pano muli ku MCP? Pathetic, find something to do other than politics. Mwaona kuti kwa Mia kuliko bwinono? hehehe Mutharika munadana naye zazikulu. Muli ndi mwayi kuti saakubwenzera chakwaipa painu. Pano bwenzi mutakalowako usiku umodzi okha ku area 30.

  29. Simunati. Nonse a opposition will come together against DPP but in the end its DPP which will win with the first -past the -post

  33. Coalition of convinience, egos, greed and weaklings. The more they make noise about coalitions the more they are admitting that DPP is a heavyweight and can only be unseated by a combination of these political lightweights. JB is still smarting from a crushing defeat that humiliated her and showed the whole world how incompetent she is/was. On the other hand, you have the bloodstained MCP desperately trying to return to govt after we removed them through blood, sweat and tears. An MCP govt spells doom and disaster to multiparty democracy because these guys are very intolerant. If Malawian are too desperate for change then UTM is the best option, otherwise please leave us with DPP. Better the devil we know than the angel we don’t know.

  36. Since she demanded her son to be the running mate to Chilima as a condition in the failed alliance, what will Abiti Mtila’s demands be with MCP this time? All along this woman knew people lost trust in her since the advent of cashgate, why make noise, The idea for alliance is good, but the timing is wrong and it will have very serious consequences on the ballot box. I wish PP switched to MCP immediately after it fell out of UTM.

  39. Motoooooooooooo kuti buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Chakwera Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Amayi oyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

    Wina apenga chaka chino ndithudiiiiiiiiiii apo biiiiiiiiiiiiiii cardic arrest in the offing…………………………………………………………….!! Kumeneko nde kufika tsopano and the “Best” count down towards May 21, ……….!! Tchaya tchaya tchaya tchaya tchayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Chakwera/Mia and Amayi!!

    Central hospitals should be on stand by…………… thithudiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii chifukwa ajawa a chimuli…………… ujeniii aja kayaaaaaaaaaa

    1. MCP has been alone my friend, it never get shaken anyhow, follow us properly you may not be in a good tunel.

      1. I used to like this woman but she is utterly useless! Kapumeni inu mwadya kokwana. Apart from that, PP yatha. Leave Chakwera alone!

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