Chihana Warns of Opposition Parties Boycotting 2025 Elections

Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) President Enock Kamzingeni Chihana has issued a stern warning that opposition parties in Malawi will boycott the 2025 elections if the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) insists on using national Identity Cards (IDs) for voting. Chihana claims that this is part of the Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) rigging scheme.

Chihana’s warning comes after Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) President Bantu Saunders Jumah made similar sentiments, stating that if the opposition parties boycott the elections, there will be no government.

The National Registration Bureau (NRB) has been accused of planting faulty cameras in the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Regions of Malawi, preventing many people from registering, unlike in the Central Region where young children under the age of 15 were able to register as eligible voters.

Speaking during an AFORD Elective Conference in Lilongwe, Chihana expressed concerns that the opposition parties do not trust MEC to conduct free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in 2025. He claimed that MEC’s strategic position appointments are based on tribal lines, favoring the Chewas.

Chihana stated that the opposition parties want to accept the results of the elections, but they do not trust MEC, which he described as being controlled by the MCP. He praised Justice Dr. Chifundo Kachale for standing firm in the June 2020 elections and announcing the winner, saying that the elections reflected the will of the people in Malawi.

The AFORD President expressed distrust in MEC Chairperson Justice Anabel Mtalimanja, saying that the opposition parties have not endorsed her to deliver free and fair elections in Malawi, except for the MCP, which she is part of.

Chihana likened the situation to a team bringing their own referee, with President Chakwera choosing a referee to preside over the elections in which he is a candidate. He described this as nonsense.

Chihana assured Malawians that the opposition parties will meet to map the way forward and that AFORD’s stand is for all Malawians, with or without national Identity Cards (IDs), to vote in the 2025 elections.