Africa-Press – Malawi. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is under fire after its botched handling of the Dzalanyama Constituency primary elections, held on 28 April 2025, sparked outrage, suspicion, and accusations of a deliberate cover-up. Nearly a week later, the party remains tight-lipped about the results, fueling fears of manipulation and internal sabotage.
What was meant to be a democratic process has turned into a scandal.
According to sources, the vote—conducted at Chiphalika Community Day Secondary School in Dedza—descended into chaos when unidentified individuals attempted to torch ballot boxes with petrol in what is being described as a brazen attempt to destroy evidence. Quick police intervention saved the day, but the damage to public trust may be irreparable.
The seized ballots were hurriedly transported to Dedza District Council Hall under police guard for counting, yet five days later, the party still refuses to declare the winner.
“This silence is not just deafening—it’s suspicious,” said one visibly angry MCP member. “Are they buying time to cook results? Is someone trying to install their favourite? This is not the democracy we were promised.”
Unofficial results, already circulating, show shadow MP Godfrey Chisoni clinching victory with 416 votes—defeating Morris Chikafa (283) and sitting MP Filippo Chinkhondo (270). Yet the party leadership refuses to confirm what everyone on the ground already knows. Adding fuel to the fire, insiders allege one of the individuals involved in the attempted ballot arson is a DJ tied to Chinkhondo’s campaign. If true, this isn’t just a political misstep—it’s criminal.
Repeated calls to the presiding chairperson Eddie Mombera and party spokesperson Jessie Kabwira went unanswered. Their silence only adds weight to suspicions that the party is either overwhelmed by internal wrangling or complicit in suppressing the will of the people.
“What’s the point of holding elections if the results can be hidden or rewritten in backrooms?” asked another disgruntled member. “If the MCP cannot run a transparent primary, how can it be trusted to govern a country?”
Ironically, while Dedza burns with unanswered questions, MCP Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda was in Lumbadzi preaching unity and intra-party democracy. Speaking at a rally at Mkukula Primary School, he glossed over the chaos in Dzalanyama, vaguely assuring that “issues” from primaries were being resolved. But for many, that statement feels like too little, too late.
This scandal in Dzalanyama isn’t just an embarrassment for the MCP—it’s a test of whether the party practices the democracy it preaches. And right now, the verdict from the people is damning.
Until the party comes clean, confirms the results, and holds those behind the attempted sabotage accountable, its credibility in Dzalanyama—and beyond—will remain in question.
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