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. In the 2009 elections, it received approximately 30% of the national vote.
Malawi Congress Party | |
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Abbreviation | MCP |
President | Lazarus Chakwera |
Founder | Orton Chirwa Aleke Banda |
Founded | 1959 |
Preceded by | Nyasaland African Congress |
Headquarters | Lilongwe |
Youth wing | Malawi Young Pioneers (disbanded) |
Ideology | uMunthu Conservatism[1] Mixed economy African nationalism[2] Anti-colonialism |
Political position | Centre-right (with right-wing factions) Historical: Big tent |
International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
Colors | Black, Red and Green |
National Assembly | 55 / 193
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SADC PF | 0 / 5
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Pan-African Parliament | 0 / 5
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Election symbol | |
Cockerel | |
Party flag | |
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Website | |
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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 has been in opposition ever since, but remains a major force in Malawian politics. It is strongest in the central region, populated by ethnic Chewa and Nyanja people.
At the May 2009 elections its candidate for president, John Tembo (a longtime confidant of Banda), won 30.7% of the vote and the party won 26 out of 193 seats.
Presidents
- Lazarus Chakwera 2013–present
- John Tembo 2003 – 2013
- Gwanda Chakuamba 1994 -2003
- Hastings Banda 1964 -1994
MCP members
- Kamuzu Banda
- John Tembo
- Lazarus Chakwera
- Eisenhower Mkaka
- Sidik Mia
- Maurice Munthali
- Gerald Mzaza
- Sam Kawale
- Ezekiel Chingoma
- Tricia Saidi
- Rhoda Kamchacha
- Harry Mkandawire
- Catherine Gotani Hara
- Khumbize Kandodo
- Nasser Kara
- Dennis Chikumbutso Amadi
Electoral history
Presidential elections
Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
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1994 | Hastings Banda | 996,353 | 33.44% | Lost ![]() |
1999 | Gwanda Chakuamba | 2,106,790 | 45.21% | Lost ![]() |
2004 | John Tembo | 937,965 | 28.22% | Lost ![]() |
2009 | 1,365,672 | 30.49% | Lost ![]() | |
2014 | Lazarus Chakwera | 1,455,880 | 27.8% | Lost ![]() |
2019 | 1,781,740 | 35.41% | Lost ![]() | |
2020 | 2,604,043 | 59.34% | Won ![]() |
National Assembly elections
Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | |
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1961 | Orton Chirwa | Lower roll | 71,659 | 98.8% | 22 / 28 |
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Higher roll | 385 | 10.3% | |||||
1964 | Hastings Banda | General roll | 50 / 53 |
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Special roll | |||||||
1971 | 60 / 60 |
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1976 | 70 / 70 |
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1978 | 100% | 87 / 87 |
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1983 | 100% | 101 / 101 |
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1987 | 100% | 112 / 112 |
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1992 | 100% | 141 / 141 |
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1994 | 996,047 | 33.68% | 56 / 177 |
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1999 | Gwanda Chakuamba | 1,518,548 | 33.81% | 66 / 193 |
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2004 | John Tembo | 785,671 | 24.85% | 57 / 193 |
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2009 | 562,859 | 12.94% | 26 / 193 |
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2014 | Lazarus Chakwera | 895,659 | 17.37% | 48 / 193 |
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2019 | 1,108,735 | 22.32% | 55 / 193 |
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See also
References
- Wikman, Björn (2012). "The institutionalisation of political parties in Malawi". Lunds University. p. 13. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- Manzano, Dulce (9 June 2017). Bringing Down the Educational Wall: Political Regimes, Ideology, and the Expansion of Education. Cambridge University Press. p. 89. Retrieved 22 April 2020.