Political analyst George Phiri has urged leaders of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to handle their internal disputes carefully, warning that growing divisions could weaken the party if they are not addressed through dialogue.
Phiri's remarks follow fresh calls from a faction within MCP demanding that party president Lazarus Chakwera step down, accusing him of ignoring earlier advice on governance, corruption and internal party management.
Speaking to journalists in Lilongwe on Saturday, the grouping--operating under the banner MCP Revolution for Change of Leadership--said it had warned Chakwera as far back as 2021 about what it described as weaknesses in his leadership style.
According to the group, failure to act on those warnings eventually contributed to the party losing power in the 2025 Malawi General Election.
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The faction's chairperson, Samson Chaziya, said many traditional MCP supporters chose not to vote during the election because they had lost confidence in the party's leadership.
"Malawians did not vote out MCP as a party. They voted out President Chakwera and the leadership around him. Many loyal MCP members simply stayed away from voting because they could not support his continued leadership," he said.
Chaziya also accused Chakwera of sidelining party structures after assuming power, saying the presidency became detached from grassroots members who worked to put the party in government.
"Our concern is that President Chakwera separated the presidency from party structures, forgetting that it was MCP members from the grassroots who worked tirelessly to bring him to power," he said.
The group has since called on Chakwera to resign as party president and pave the way for a fresh leadership contest at the next party convention scheduled between 2026 and 2027 in line with the party's constitution.
However, MCP leadership has dismissed the calls.
Party spokesperson Jessie Kabwila questioned the legitimacy of the faction, saying it does not represent the official position of the party.
"MCP is guided by its constitution, and at our last convention we gave President Chakwera a mandate to lead the party until 2029," Kabwila said.
She added that genuine party members know the proper channels for raising concerns.
"That group has no mandate to call for the president's resignation or to demand an early convention," she said.
Meanwhile, Chakwera's spokesperson Gift Nankhuni declined to comment on the matter when contacted.
Analyst Phiri warned that prolonged internal disputes could damage the party if leaders fail to address grievances from within.
"It is important that Chakwera listens to these concerns because leadership is based on the mandate of the people. If these issues are ignored, the party risks losing support from members who may remain in MCP but withdraw their backing," he said.
Since its defeat in the September 2025 polls, MCP has experienced a series of internal disagreements over leadership direction and its structure in Parliament--developments political observers say could weaken its effectiveness as an opposition party.
Soon after the election loss, some party members demanded an emergency convention aimed at electing a new leader and removing Chakwera from the helm.
However, the proposal was rejected during a national executive committee meeting held on October 22, 2025. Instead, the party resolved to hire an independent consultant to assess the factors behind its electoral defeat.
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The divisions later spilled into Parliament over the appointment of Simplex Chithyola Banda as Leader of Opposition.
At the time, MCP deputy secretary general Gerald Kazembe wrote to the Clerk of Parliament indicating that the party intended to elect a Leader of Opposition on November 1, 2025 in accordance with parliamentary Standing Order 35--effectively challenging Chakwera's appointment of Chithyola Banda.
But when MCP legislators met on November 3, 2025 at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, they resolved to maintain Chithyola Banda in the position after a lengthy meeting attended by senior party officials.
Observers say the ongoing wrangles within MCP echo internal divisions that previously weakened the Democratic Progressive Party during the period it was out of government, raising concerns that history could repeat itself if the party fails to unite behind a clear leadership path.
