Analysts differ on decision to limit Presidential Debate to five parties

Political analysts have expressed mixed reactions to the decision to restrict participation in the upcoming presidential debates to only five of Malawi’s 17 political parties ahead of the 16 September elections.

The debates, scheduled for 21 August, 29 August, and 4 September, will feature presidential candidates from the United Democratic Front (UDF), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Malawi Congress Party (MCP), UTM, and the People’s Party (PP).

According to task force chairperson Golden Matonga, the selection was based on the parties’ perceived higher chances of winning the September polls.

However, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) lecturer Andrew Kaponya has questioned the criteria, expressing concern over the exclusion of other candidates from the national platform.

“Every individual who qualifies to run for the presidency has the right to do so. And when that individual expresses interest, they must be given the same space and platform as any other presidential candidate in that election — regardless of size, newness, or popularity. It is a right,” Kaponya said.

On the other hand, Nandini Patel, Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI), argued that the high number of presidential candidates is itself a challenge.

“I think many people agree that we have far too many candidates for the presidential race. Parties should have worked better on forming clear alliances so there would be fewer names. Especially with the 50% plus one requirement, realistic alliance formation with fewer presidential candidates would make achieving that threshold much simpler,” Patel said.

The debates are being organized by a task force chaired by MISA-Malawi, with technical support from the National Democratic Institute.