MCP Faces Legal Blowback Over Flawed Kasungu South West Primaries

Two Malawi Congress Party (MCP) parliamentary aspirants, Alex Major and Mirriam Jekapu, have taken legal action against their party, alleging serious irregularities in the recent primary elections held in Kasungu South West Constituency.

In a sworn affidavit filed at the High Court, the pair outlined a litany of electoral flaws that they claim undermined the credibility of the primaries conducted on February 21, 2025.

Among the allegations are claims of intimidation of delegates by party officials, exclusion of eligible voters, shortages of ballot papers, and instances of bribery intended to sway the outcome. They also accused party agents of removing officially designated monitors and allowing unaccredited individuals to vote—irregularities they say favored their rival, Amon Nkhata.

Major and Jekapu argue that the flawed process denied them a fair chance to contest and are seeking an injunction to bar the MCP from recognizing or presenting Nkhata as its shadow MP for the constituency until the court rules on the matter.

The High Court has set May 13, 2025, as the date for the injunction hearing.

Commenting on the issue, MCP Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda acknowledged that disputes had emerged in some areas, attributing them to the logistical and administrative challenges of organizing primaries across 229 constituencies. He reiterated the party’s willingness to resolve such disputes in line with its democratic principles.

Kasungu South West is not the only constituency where the MCP faces legal hurdles over its primaries. In Lilongwe Msozi Constituency, officials Brighton Marko and Gift Chidzam’mbuyo have also secured a court order for judicial review, challenging the makeup of the electoral college used in that area’s vote.

That race has drawn a crowded field, including incumbent MPs Sosten Gwengwe and Liana Chapota Munthali, along with Bizwick Chapota and Warrant Chasukusa.

The mounting legal challenges are casting a shadow over the MCP’s internal governance and raising broader concerns about the credibility of its candidate selection process ahead of the 2025 general elections.

As these cases proceed, their outcomes could set important precedents for how political parties in Malawi are expected to uphold internal democracy and accountability in their nomination procedures.

With pressure mounting, all eyes are now on how the MCP will navigate this critical moment of internal reckoning.