Fresh pressure is mounting on Malawi Congress Party leader Lazarus Chakwera after political analyst Boniface Dulani bluntly warned the troubled opposition party that delaying internal reforms until 2029 could destroy its chances of returning to power in 2030.
Dulani's hard-hitting remarks come after a High Court consent judgement delivered in Blantyre on Friday ordered MCP to conduct elections for its district and regional committees within 12 months -- a ruling that has now reopened deep internal wounds inside the former ruling party.
The case was brought by MCP member Lovemore Chauwa, who challenged the legality of the party's district and regional committees, arguing that their mandates had long expired and that the structures were operating outside the party constitution.
But beyond the courtroom victory lies a much bigger political storm brewing inside MCP.
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The judgement has reignited fierce debate over whether Chakwera should continue holding onto party leadership structures without a fresh national convention, especially after the party's crushing defeat in the September 2025 general election.
Dulani said the court ruling presents a golden opportunity for MCP to completely reset its leadership and restore internal democracy before the party sinks deeper into division and stagnation.
"MCP can use this as an opportunity to democratise the party process," Dulani said.
"Delegates to national conventions are supposed to come from district and regional structures. If I was advising the party, I would tell them not to wait until 2029. Use these elections as a platform to hold a national convention if the party is serious about returning to power in 2030."
His comments are likely to intensify already growing tensions within MCP, where disgruntled members have increasingly accused the party leadership of ignoring constitutional procedures while shielding itself from accountability following electoral failure.
Political commentator George Chaima also piled pressure on the party, saying MCP cannot continue pretending that some leaders are above the constitution.
Chaima warned that if Chakwera wants another mandate within the party, he must subject himself to democratic processes instead of relying on delayed conventions and weakened structures.
"No one in the party is above its constitution and everyone must comply with the law," Chaima said.
"If MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera wants to be re-elected, he has to engage party members and see whether the constitution can be amended before or during the convention."
The ruling has also emboldened internal critics who have long demanded sweeping leadership changes within the party.
One of them, MCP member Alex Major, described the judgement as an opportunity to finally confront governance failures that have been ignored for years.
"The party's convention took place in 2018 and was supposed to be held in 2023 but it was delayed until 2024," Major said.
"I expected the court to order elections for all party structures."
The latest developments come at a politically sensitive time for Chakwera, whose authority within MCP has been weakening since losing the 2025 elections after serving one turbulent term in government.
Several party members have openly blamed him for the party's electoral collapse, accusing his leadership of failing to manage internal divisions, abandoning party values and overseeing governance failures that damaged MCP's credibility nationally.
Critics within the party are now arguing that MCP cannot realistically prepare for 2030 while operating under expired structures and unresolved leadership questions.
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The pressure is further complicated by constitutional questions surrounding Chakwera's political future.
Having already represented MCP as presidential candidate in 2014, 2019 and 2025, Chakwera is widely considered ineligible to stand again as the party's torchbearer in 2030 under existing party arrangements -- unless changes are made.
That reality is now fueling an increasingly unavoidable succession debate inside MCP, with growing calls for the party to begin preparing a new generation of leadership instead of postponing difficult conversations.
Meanwhile, MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila had not responded to requests for comment by press time.
What began as a legal challenge over expired district committees is now rapidly evolving into a full-scale battle over the soul, direction and future leadership of one of Malawi's oldest political parties.
