Critics warn that rewriting party rules to accommodate individual leaders risks weakening internal democracy. It is an old political temptation: when a constitution becomes inconvenient, change the constitution rather than the politician. For political analyst George Chaima, the current debate within the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) raises precisely that concern.
“When you start tampering with a policy document [constitution] to suit particular individuals who have got greed for power, it does not create consistency of governance of a particular party,” Chaima said.
His intervention comes as sections of the MCP appear to be weighing whether the party’s constitution should be amended to permit former president Lazarus Chakwera to lead the party into the 2030 election.
As things stand, Chakwera’s defeat in the 16 September General Election is widely understood to disqualify him from another presidential bid under the party’s current rules, having already enjoyed victory in the court-ordered fresh election of 2020.
Yet such rules are only as fixed as a party’s willingness to abide by them. MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila has suggested that constitutional amendments are likely to be considered, opening a discussion not merely about Chakwera’s future, but about the party’s understanding of its own institutions.
The mood for change extends beyond the question of presidential candidacy. Vitumbiko Mumba, Chakwera’s former running mate, has mounted a direct challenge to the party establishment, arguing that the National Executive Committee must shoulder responsibility for the 2025 defeat.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Times Television, Mumba said the current NEC should be replaced, beginning with its senior leadership, which he blamed for the party’s electoral reversal.
Mumba resigned from the MCP NEC in June 2025 before contesting and winning the Mzimba Central parliamentary seat as an independent candidate.
The argument now confronting the MCP is one faced by many political parties after defeat: whether electoral loss should trigger institutional renewal or constitutional revision.
For Chaima, at least, the answer appears clear. A party that alters its rules to suit personalities risks sending a message that power matters more than principle.
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