BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Congress Party is pushing for constitutional changes that would bar anyone outside the Central Region from contesting for the party’s presidency, a proposal that has sparked debate within the party and among political observers.
The disclosure was made on Tuesday during an MCP meeting held in Lilongwe. All Senior party officials except Lazerus chakwera were present.
According to an inside source who attended the meeting and once served as a minister in President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration, the gathering agreed in principle to amend the MCP constitution to reserve the top position for someone from the Central Region.
The source said party leaders argued that MCP has historically been strongest when led by individuals from the Central Region, citing the tenures of founding president Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, John Tembo and the current president Lazarus Chakwera as evidence.
The meeting was told that when Gwanda Chakuamba, who hails from Nsanje in the Southern Region, led the party, it became factionalized and weakened.
On that basis, participants concluded that future MCP presidents must come from the Central Region, specifically from the Chewa community.
“ MCP belongs to Chewas and we need to respect that as such there is a need to make it a law,” the source quoted participants as saying. “Whether one wants it or not we will amend the constitution. Only Chewas are good leaders for MCP and not any other tribe.”
Under the proposal discussed, the three most senior positions in the party structure — president, secretary general and treasurer general — would remain within the Central Region. Members from the Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions would only be eligible to contest for deputy positions.
The meeting also resolved that aspirants from other regions would not be allowed to stand for the presidency at the party’s forthcoming convention.
Those who opposed the suggestion were reportedly labeled unpatriotic and advised to consider joining other parties.
Another key resolution from the Lilongwe meeting was to allow President Lazarus Chakwera to step down when he chooses. The source indicated that Chakwera is expected to announce in the coming weeks that he will not seek another term as MCP president.
The proposed amendments, if adopted, would mark a significant shift in how the country’s oldest political party selects its leadership.
MCP was formed as a national movement ahead of independence and has historically drawn support across all regions, even though its traditional base has been in the Central Region.
Political analyst Matthews Namukhoyo said he was not surprised by the development. In an interview, he described the move as a clear manifestation of regionalism and nepotism within the party.
He urged MCP members from outside the Central Region to reconsider their allegiance and reflect on whether a party imposing regional restrictions can still claim to be national in character.
Attempts to get a comment from MCP Publicity Secretary Jessie Kabwira were unsuccessful at the time of going to press.
The proposal is likely to deepen existing tensions within MCP ahead of its elective convention.
Critics argue that restricting the presidency on regional grounds contradicts the party’s founding ideals and the democratic principles enshrined in Malawi’s constitution, which guarantees equal political rights regardless of region or ethnicity.
Supporters however maintain that the change will bring stability and unity to the party by returning it to what they call its roots.
With Chakwera’s expected exit and the convention approaching, the debate over who can lead MCP is set to dominate internal party politics in the months ahead.
Whether the proposed amendment will pass and withstand legal and political scrutiny remains to be seen, but for now the Central Region appears set to retain an exclusive hold on the MCP presidency.
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