Former President Mutharika is facing growing calls to run in the 2025 elections to save the country from the speed to the bottom under President Chakwera.Photo courtesy
The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed with costs an application for an injunction by three senior opposition Democratic Progressive Party officials protesting against party decisions made by its leader Prof Peter Mutharika, who is showing signs of bowing to growing pressure from broad segments of militants and the country to run for the presidency in 2025.
The trio Kondwani Nankhumwa, Cecilia Chazama and Grezelder Jeffrey also wanted an injunction not to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee today, and nullify the December 13 national governing council (NGC).
Prof Mutharika had stripped Nakhumwa of the role of vice-president (South) and made him his adviser alongside former director of women, Chazama. He also moved Jeffrey as secretary general to vice-president (Centre).
This came amid continued infightings within the party, with another section challenging Mutharika’s purported candidature at the party’s convention.
But Justice of Appeal Dorothy NyaKaunda Kamanga threw out the challenge on the altered positions, on the basis that the three had not exhausted all internal conflict resolution mechanisms within the DPP, before taking to the courts.
She said the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction over the application because the applicants did not appeal the High Court judgement which refused them an injunction.
Meanwhile, Ernest Thindwa a political analyst says political parties must follow fundamental principles of democracy to address the internal misunderstandings.
According to Thindwa, it will be easy for political parties to resolve their differences as long as intra-party democracy is being practiced in the parties.
The ruling now means that, no member of any political party can challenge a party decision to the courts, before the matter is heard within the party.
There have been reports going that some of the opposition and dissent within the DPP are triggered by the Lazarus Chakwera administration which is facing increasing prospects of defeat in the 2025 polls because of policies that have brought untold hardship to the people.
Until now, Mutharika has been slamming the Chakwera administration following the devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha which has in turn eroded the incomes of most Malawians while at the same time causing a sharp increase in the prices of basic commodities.
