As Malawians are looking forward to 2025 general elections, there are reports that the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is conspiring to rig the elections.
The adverse effect of a rigged election is that deserving leaders are sidelined while putting in power incompetent and clueless ones.
It is against this background that this episode endeavours to expose 10 MCP alleged tactics in an attempt to rig 2025 general elections.
- Registration of under-aged children for national IDs in MCP stronghold areas
The Malawi Electoral Commission’s (MEC) announcement which insinuated that no Malawian will be allowed to vote without a national ID has created an unexpected pandemonium in the political fraternity.
From the audio clip that has recently hit the waves of social media platforms, the National Registration Bureau (NRB) staff deployed in the MCP stronghold areas especially Lilongwe have been intimidated by MCP youth league mercenaries to force them to register under-aged citizens.
- Provision of faulty equipment in processing national IDs in DPP stronghold areas
In an attempt to register more MCP supporters for elections , high quality electronic gadgets have been deployed in the MCP stronghold region while providing faulty equipment in the southern and eastern region, the DPP stronghold.
If no Malawian will indeed be allowed to vote without a valid national ID, then many DPP supporters who will not have national IDs due to registration faulty equipment will be disenfranchised from voting while giving advantage to MCP supporters who will be in possession of the required document.
- Strategic transfer of DCs
It is a tradition now that District Commissioners (DCs) become returning officers who ultimately manage general elections at district level.
No wonder that the Chakwera government has some weeks ago massively transferred DCs to various duty stations in readiness for the well planned act.
- Recruitment of MCP stalwarts in key MEC positions
It must be stated emphatically that any bonafide Malawian citizen is constitutionally entitled to equal opportunities regardless of gender, religion or political affiliation.
However, some public positions require that the holder has the public trust to be able to discharge their duties impartially without fear or favour.
The development that many MEC positions including the Chief Executive Officer and Director of ICT services have been filled with MCP diehards is very concerning.
- Persecution of whistleblowers and journalists who expose MCP clandestine and diabolical motives
Truth must be told that I have been privileged to witness Hastings Banda, Bakili Muluzi, Bingu wa Mutharika, Joyce Banda, Peter Mutharika and Lazarus Chakwera regimes. So I write from experience and not from experiment.
If Kamuzu Banda under a one-party system eventually failed to gag whistleblowers and journalists, it is ironic how Chakwera government can achieve such an archaic and undemocratic undertaking in a multiparty dispensation.
The unceremonious arrest of whistleblowers, journalists or human rights activists such as Gregory Gondwe, Macmillan Mhone, Bon Kalindo, Edward Kambanje and many others are uncalled for in this multiparty era.
Spending tax payers’ money on hunting down Bakili Muluzi online TV presenter for exposing MCP clandestine activities is abuse of power as it also undermines democratic values for which many Malawians lost their lives and relatives while fighting against the then MCP tyranny.
- Inciting political violence
When Aford party supporters were attacked, beaten and their smart phones brutally smashed by MCP thugs, Malawians expected President Chakwera as the party president and the State President to vehemently condemn such primitive acts.
Furthermore, as the Commander of Armed Forces, President Chakwera would have assured Malawians of their safety by ensuring that the perpetrators of political violence face the long arm of the law. Disappointingly, no one has been apprehended for such violations of constitutional rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of association.
Even former President Peter Mutharika at Njamba Freedom Park requested President Chakwera to ensure that the political terrain is free from political violence by allowing any party to conduct political campaigns anywhere in Malawi. In fact, voter intimidation in the form of political violence has been used by many politicians in history to rig elections. This is a new phenomenon.
- Enforcement of appeasement policy while disregarding meritocracy
It is very unfortunate that President Chakwera’s appeasement policy has become a catalyst for mediocrity, nepotism, corruption, tribalism, regionalism and favouritism. The resultant effect of these vices is that political leaders are voted again into power not based on their ideologies and competence.
Ironically, beneficiaries of the aforementioned vices unanimously concur that President Chakwera has indeed dismally failed to manage Malawi’s ailing economy but they have stood their ground that they will cast votes for him so that they can continue benefiting from the same. This is totally retrogressive as far as national progress is concerned.
- Tactics to misinform and confuse a voter in order to score a political point
Rigging elections is not just a single event but a coordinated process. Elections are rigged before, during and after the day of actual voting. Misinforming and confusing a gullible voter for an extended period of time has proven to be an effective and viable tactic to rig elections.
Much as the unforeseen circumstances have affected every country in the world, President Chakwera is not ashamed of misinforming voters that he has failed to manage Malawi’s ailing economy due to covid 19 pandemic, cyclone Freddy, Russia-Ukraine war and the previous DPP regime.
There are incidents in which Chakwera regime has also claimed authorship of some infrastructural developments initiated and partly completed by the DPP regime. This is aimed at giving the electorate an impression that MCP administration is development conscious.
In its attempt to weaken the main opposition party, DPP, MCP through the National Assembly Speaker, Catherine Gotani Hara, singlehandedly chose Kondwani Nankhumwa as the Leader of Opposition in parliament.
This MCP conspiratorial action created a political pandemonium and turbulence in the once mighty party, DPP. It is not surprising that Kondwani Nankhumwa formed a new party PDP after being excommunicated from DPP.
A combinatorial analysis surmises that Kondwani Nanlhumwa’s party PDP is similar in nomenclature to DPP and it will just confuse an illiterate voter thereby giving MCP a political advantage. It is interesting to note that both DPP and PDP enjoy their stronghold status in the Lhomwe belt.
- Distribution of money and basic commodities to desperate voters during political campaigns
There are always ululations and jubilations by MCP supporters over both parliamentary and councilors by-elections victories. However, reliable sources confirm that these victories are not just accomplished on a silver platter.
The unfortunate truth is that MCP actually buys votes by splashing money and basic commodities such as soap and sugar.
For instance, in the recent by-election in Karonga, a good number of cows were promised to be slaughtered in the ward upon victory. Jubilations erupted again when this political promise was honoured. It is expected that such dubious activities will be extrapolated to 2025 general elections.
- Promotion of judges and justices who are perceived to be MCP sympathisers
It is common knowledge that electoral disputes ultimately find their way in the hands of court judges and justices.
It is also a fact that most of the judges who ruled in favour of President Chakwera in 2019 presidential race case have been accordingly appeased through promotions.
With rampant judge shopping in the judiciary, any electoral complaint lodged to the courts by opposition parties will most likely hit an impermeable rock.
In conclusion, we implore opposition parties and civil society organisations to be on the lookout of the alleged tactics of vote rigging.
With concrete evidence, such diabolical activities must be formally reported to responsible authorities including MEC.
After all, Malawians are looking forward to free, fair, transparent and credible 2025 general elections. May the best candidates win!!
Long live democracy!!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor
