Former Malawi President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is set to step back into the national spotlight this morning with a high-stakes press conference scheduled for 10:00 AM at the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) headquarters in Lilongwe.
This will be Chakwera’s first major public appearance and national address since the tense September 16 elections. Until now, he has kept a deliberate, almost monastic silence—emerging only once to chair the MCP’s powerful National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
What he will say today remains tightly guarded, with not even seasoned insiders willing to whisper possible themes. But the political storm around him continues to rage.
A faction of party critics is openly pushing for Chakwera to step down as MCP president, arguing the party needs a clean slate if it hopes to reinvent itself before the 2030 elections. The MCP constitution bars Chakwera from running again unless delegates amend it — a move insiders say is highly improbable.
From this standpoint, critics argue:
If Chakwera will not be the 2030 candidate, why keep him at the helm?
But Chakwera’s loyalists, backed by NEC heavyweights, have fiercely shut down the calls. They insist his mandate runs until 2029, when the next elective convention is due, and that any demand for him to resign now is nothing short of political hallucination.
That sets the stage for today’s press conference — a moment thick with suspense.
Will Chakwera confirm he is staying put?
Will he shock the nation with a voluntary exit?
Or will he introduce an unexpected middle ground?
Known for his calm leadership and deeply rooted religious principles, Chakwera is expected to make a decision he believes aligns with both party integrity and national interest.
Whatever direction he takes, Malawi waits with bated breath as cameras, microphones, and a restless political class converge on MCP headquarters in Lilongwe — ready for whatever bombshell the former President is about to drop.
