Together but not united: Understanding Malawi’s political alliances

March 8, 2020 Wongani Chiuta - Nyasa Times 22 Comments

In the past three or so weeks, no phrase has graced media headlines more than ‘political alliances’.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential candidate Chakwera (r) and UTM president Saulos Chilima are seeking an electoral alliance

Welcome to season of political alliances.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and  United Democratic Front (UDF) set it all off a week ago with leaders Atupele Muluzi and Peter Mutharika sharing caps to announce their alliance.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP)  and UTM Party are still in the kitchen. But at the end of it all, we know that an alliance between the two is on the cards.

But why this hype about alliances?

Expert define a political alliance as coming together of two or more parties before an election to increase their winning chances.

Since the return of multi-party democracy in 1993—after 31 years of Kamuzu Banda one partyism—Malawi has witnessed series of political alliances.

But what has stood out, in these political alliances, is a glaring fact that they have only worked to keep the incumbent in power than help the opposition win government.

The question, then, is: What is it in Malawi’s political alliances that only helps to keep the incumbent in power but fails to help the opposition?

In this first place, it is important to underline that political alliances, elsewhere, have helped the opposition win government.

In 2000, a group of opposition parties in Senegal joined forces as the Sopi (or “Change”) alliance. Together, they defeated the incumbent president and ended 40 years of one-party dominance.

In 2002, Kenya’s opposition repeated the trick. In the 1992 and 1997 elections, losing parties had cumulatively gained over 60% of the vote. But this time around, they grouped together as the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). This united opposition swept to power, removing the party that had governed Kenya since 1963.

To mean, if well hatched, political alliances can do both: help incumbents maintain power and, also, help the opposition win power.

But why, in Malawi, does the opposition fail to use political alliances to take over government?

Wiseman Chijere Chirwa, professor of history at Chancellor College says there are a number of fundamental reasons behind this.

“In the first place, political alliances need to be well thought out before they are implemented. Those uniting need to find what they want to achieve and how they will do it,” he explains.

He adds that alliances need to be clear if their motive is just to unseat the government of the day or to be an alternative.

“Most coalitions have failed because they end up being not different from the incumbents that they are challenging. They are not well thought out,” he says.

He noted that that lack of a common ideology among the parties forming an alliance is another crucial factor behind failure.

“Almost all alliances have been motivated by an urgent need to unseat incumbents. They are not backed by any ideological commonality. They are so diverse in ways and beliefs, as a result, they fail to speak with a common voice,” he says.

Even timing, adds Chirwa, is another important factor that parties forming alliances ignore.

“The question is: When do you form an alliance? Parties need a common platform for time to easily reach out to voters and explain themselves clearly,” he says.

 

Even Blessings Chinsinga, associate professor of political science at Chancellor College, agrees with Chirwa.

“The challenge comes in because when an alliance is made at the last moment, parties fail to develop a joint platform to sell to the people. They end up being opportunists. They don’t offer development alternative at all, apart from unseating the incumbency,” he says.

Chinsinga, who gave an example of the MCP and UDF alliance in 2009 which was principally motivated by unseating Bingu wa Mutharika, added that another factor relates to uneven electoral field that opposition parties face.

“It is beyond comprehension that incumbents exploit every opportunity to their advantage. This works greatly to the disadvantage of the opposition,” Chinsinga said.

Malawi is slowly getting into the mood of fresh presidential elections, the first ever in the country.

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22 replies on “Together but not united: Understanding Malawi’s political alliances”

  2. Nangati kuli zitsilu mMalawi muno ndie CHAKWELA N CHILIMA ndi otsatila aku Living Stonia

  5. I beg to differ. The opposition has not been losing. Their victory was stolen by the ruling government with the help of the electoral commission.

  6. I think this article has completely missed the point….to conclude that alliances has never worked for the opposition because they were not well thought through clearly shows that the writer is either new to Malawian politics or is another cadet masquerading as a journalist.

    First of all let me remind you that the only credible general election we have ever had since the dawn of multiparty politics in this country was the one in 1994….all other elections after that were a just a sham……abusing ordinary Malawians to go out to vote knowing too well that the results will be manipulated to suit the powers that be.

    I know some of you might argue that how did DPP win in 2014 from the opposition? Again you have to remember that JB had only been in power for 2 years after taking the government from DPP, so she had people all around her pretending to be PP converts but deep down their hearts were DPP and still angry for being pushed into opposition not thru the ballot.

    PP did not have the grass root structures at the time like the ones that DPP had, so basically DPP managed to rig the elections from the opposition…..do you remember those official ballot boxes that were being dumped in Lundzu and other places after the winner had been declared. And then MEC ware houses set on fire to destroy the evidence?

    Please next time before writing useless articles like this one do your research well….

    1. They always miss the point when they expose the shortfalls of your party. Zimakhala chonchotu

    2. Follow the history of alliances that failed in Malawi UDF and Aford in 1994, MCP and Aford, UDF and MCP. All alliances have never been successful because of greed and differing in idiologies.

  7. there was a meeting between the MCP/UTM and the army genral who want to take over government. it is going to start with Ntambo starting his trade mark of violent demonstrations and convege at state house then a coup will be made.

    1. Because Chakwera and Chilima know they now can’t win through the ballot. But we are not stupid. We can’t allow our country be destroyed by two greedy and nasty idiots. A lot of Malawians are opening their eyes as to what this is all about.

      1. you must be insane ,who wants to be ruled by that old thing?we r tired of this government ok?we r malawians we deserve to be treated fairly , u r talking bullshit !!!!! we need peace this is our own malawi

  9. Just shows how greedy the two idoits are. Sitting under a tree for 61 Court days and can’t agree. Machende anu nonse. You can have good vision but your greed ruins everything…. I hope adad licks you again!

  13. Alliances in the opposition has never won election because of irregularities that have often be there, the 3 February concourt rulling is an eye opener that MEC has been playing with numbers to suit the one who appointed them. If the commissioners will be appointed by the state president no opposition presidential candidate can win the next election

  15. I agree. Our political leaders be it in government and opposition are cut from the same fabric. They get into alliances because of greed e.g DPP and UDF. They also fail to get into alliances because of greed e.g MCP and UTM. Meanwhile Malawians rally behind these wolves dressed in sheep’s skin as if they have solutions. It’s a mental slavery issue going on. Bob Marley sang ” emancipate yourself from mental slavery.”. Only when Malawians stop seeing politicians as having solutions to them as Malawians having solutions will the country begin to make enormous strides.

  16. I’m of very sure that the writer has taken this much and or bring this issue here because of the alliance between the mighty MCP and the mighty UTM, am calling them mighty parties because they were all at the ballot paper on the nulled Election we had, my own view is not going to why the alliance but not United,, far from the headline. The two called political commentators are all right, but I myself will speak what is on the ground,,, that MCP and UTM,, we all know that being working together,we need to have a work force which is the rules that are in place, in politics these people called politicians they always tell us that,,there is no permanent enemy I politics, meaning that what ever they do in politics it ends there but I have come across that it is not true, these people are enemies to each other simple and let it be understood here, the Chakwera and the Chilima were all fighting one battle and won the battle and the whole World has a history about these two bulls, now what is wrong for them working together? Here are just few things, they are enemies, eg, the last election campaign, Chakwera used to say, Chilima is in the same Government,meaning in that time DPP, Chilima used to say MCP will produce another Album of mwatibera,, I remember some of those words from the so called No permanent enemies, what you afraid of is what exactly comes on you way, they show us that they are not enemies by portrait fake unity while they know that it is not true, these are the fruits of all those fake smiling on each other.
    Now by looking at that kind of fake smile,they are trying to make it real smiles by first delete and or erase all the hazard words they were altering long time back because those were the true character of their own, this alliance ladies and gentlemen of the MCP and UTM is more like the Opposition’s discussing with the ruling Party which is not easy, all of them must have a time to massage their pains they created before May 2019, and they have to swallow those pills and come back to their senses, and then they will be able to see Malawi, but as for now they are busy curing their parties so that they should not loose the honourable so and so in the name of alliance. I would be happy if they use the unity they had during the Court and then alliance must follow, but they way it is, it’s like they have forgotten that they were once together striping the justice in the same Country. Chakwera must not see DPP in Chilima the same Chilima must not see MCP yokupha in Chakwera! Mubweleko ndizakupsa kumeneko, it will be a waste of time to Malawians who have taken their time praying for you guys and you come wina atagwila manja mkhosi!

  17. People can now see that the opposition is just trying to get power and its leaders want positions and money for themselves. The opposition has been exposed as power hungry.

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