Malawi Congress Party

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under Hastings Banda, presided over Malawian independence in 1964, and from 1966 to 1993 was the only legal party in the country. It has continued to be a major force in the country since losing power.

Malawi Congress Party
Abbreviation	MCP
President	Lazarus Chakwera
Secretary-General	Richard Chimwendo Banda
Treasurer General	John Paul
Publicity Secretary	Jessie Kabwila
Founder	Orton Chirwa Aleke Banda
Founded	30 September 1959
Preceded by	Nyasaland African Congress
Headquarters	Lilongwe
Youth wing	Malawi Young Pioneers (disbanded)
Ideology	Ubuntu Conservatism[1] African nationalism[2] Anti-colonialism Anti-communism
Political position	Centre-right Factions: Right-wing
Regional affiliation	Democrat Union of Africa
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
Colors	Black, Red and Green
National Assembly	55 / 193
SADC PF	0 / 5
Pan-African Parliament	0 / 5
Election symbol
Cockerel
Party flag
Website
www.malawicongress.party
Politics of Malawi Political parties Elections

Following a court order to have a rerun of the 2019 Presidential election, a fresh Presidential election was held on 23 June 2020 which resulted in the MCP and its Tonse Alliance partners receiving approximately 60% of the national vote ushering the party back into government.

History

The Malawi Congress Party was the successor to the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) party, which was banned in 1959. The MCP was founded in 1959 by Orton Chirwa, Nyasaland's first African barrister, soon after his release from Gwelo Prison, and other NAC leaders including Aleke Banda and S. Kamwendo, in agreement with Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who remained in prison. The purpose for dashing the original NAC to form the MCP was the need for free operation since NAC was a banned party by that time.

Orton Chirwa became the first MCP president and later was succeeded by Hastings Banda after he was released from Gwelo Prison. Banda continued to hold the Presidency until his death in 1997.

In the 1961 Nyasaland elections, the MCP won all the seats in the legislature and later led Nyasaland to independence as Malawi in 1964. When Malawi became a republic in 1966, the MCP was formally declared to be the only legal party. For the next 27 years, the government and the MCP were effectively one. All adult citizens were required to be party members. They had to carry "party cards" in their wallets at all times.

The MCP lost its monopoly on power in a 1993 referendum and was roundly defeated in the country's first free elections the next year. It remains a major force in Malawian politics. It is strongest in the central region, populated by ethnic Chewa and Nyanja people.

Affiliates

The current MCP set up has seen the spring up of affiliate groups that are all working to strengthen the party. Among them are Kokoliko, Mighty Tambala Graduates, Born Free and Malawi Congress Party Diaspora Network (MCPDN). The MCP Diaspora Network has seen all MCP members and supporters living outside Malawi working together in support of the mother party back home.^[3] It has Regional Wings in countries like the UK, South Africa, USA, Republic of Ireland, Canada, and the Gulf Region. As of 2020, the MCPDN leader is UK based Chalo Mvula.^[4]

Presidents

• Orton Chirwa: 1959–1960
• Kamuzu Banda: 1960–1994
• Gwanda Chakuamba: 1994–2003
• John Tembo: 2003–2013
• Lazarus Chakwera: 2013–present

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1994	Hastings Banda	996,353	33.44%	Lost N
1999	Gwanda Chakuamba	2,106,790	45.21%	Lost N
2004	John Tembo	937,965	28.22%	Lost N
2009		1,365,672	30.49%	Lost N
2014	Lazarus Chakwera	1,455,880	27.8%	Lost N
2019		1,781,740	35.41%	Lost N
2020		2,604,043	59.34%	Elected Y

National Assembly elections

Election	Party leader	Votes		%	Seats	+/–	Position
1961	Orton Chirwa	Lower roll	71,659	98.8%	22 / 28	22	1st
		Higher roll	385	10.3%
1964	Hastings Banda	General roll			50 / 53	28	1st
		Special roll
1971					60 / 60	10	1st
1976					70 / 70	10	1st
1978				100%	87 / 87	17	1st
1983				100%	101 / 101	14	1st
1987				100%	112 / 112	11	1st
1992				100%	141 / 141	29	1st
1994		996,047		33.68%	56 / 177	85	2nd
1999	Gwanda Chakuamba	1,518,548		33.81%	66 / 193	10	2nd
2004	John Tembo	785,671		24.85%	57 / 193	9	2nd
2009		562,859		12.94%	26 / 193	31	2nd
2014	Lazarus Chakwera	895,659		17.37%	48 / 193	22	2nd
2019		1,108,735		22.32%	55 / 193	7	2nd

See also

• Official web site

References

1. Wikman, Björn (2012). "The institutionalisation of political parties in Malawi". Lunds University. p. 13. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
2. Manzano, Dulce (9 June 2017). Bringing Down the Educational Wall: Political Regimes, Ideology, and the Expansion of Education. Cambridge University Press. p. 89. ISBN 9781108508681. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
3. "President Chakwera meets MCP Diaspora Leaders in London". Nyasa Times. August 2021.
4. "MCP Diaspora Network Elects New Committee: Chalo Mvula becomes new leader". Nyasa Times. 3 November 2020.