MCP dispute deepens as veterans target offices
Leadership wrangles has rocked the opposition Malawi Congress Party
CP’s internal leadership dispute has taken a new turn after party veterans reportedly moved to shut down offices used by senior party leaders on Tuesday.
The group, calling itself MCP Veterans, reportedly targeted the offices of party president and former President Lazarus Chakwera and Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda, deepening tensions over the party’s leadership and direction.
The incident, reported by Nyasa Times, comes amid growing calls from some MCP members for Chakwera to relinquish the party presidency and for a convention to be held to determine new leadership.
Chakwera’s spokesperson, Gift Nankhuni, who is also an MCP lawmaker and private-practice lawyer, said he was unaware of any organised campaign aimed at removing Chakwera from the party leadership.
MCP politician Alex Major, however, has publicly supported the idea of a leadership contest and reiterated his call for a party convention. Major said he was confident of winning if such a contest takes place, while denying involvement in the attempt to close the party offices.
Major described those behind the office-sealing effort as engaging in insignificant actions and said the dispute should instead be addressed through the party’s formal structures.
Chimwendo Banda adopted a more conciliatory position, indicating that he was prepared to hear concerns from party members and seek ways of resolving the differences threatening the party’s cohesion.
The confrontation highlights widening divisions within the MCP, which has been in opposition since losing the September 2025 general election. The leadership dispute comes at a politically sensitive period for the party, as it seeks to reorganise itself and rebuild its position ahead of future electoral contests.
The developments also place greater pressure on MCP leaders to resolve the dispute through established party mechanisms rather than confrontational actions. Continued divisions could affect the party’s organisational stability and its ability to present a unified opposition platform.
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