A plot to rig Malawi’s September 2025 elections has been uncovered, placing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the center of what sources are calling a digital coup — with former Cabinet Minister Ben Phiri named as a key player.
According to explosive intelligence leaks and verified diplomatic cables, Ben Phiri, along with two shadowy DPP financiers, held secretive meetings with foreign election tech giant Smartmatic in Johannesburg, South Africa and Abu Dhabi, Dubai, where plans were allegedly laid to rig the upcoming polls through a $4 million software deal.
A senior intelligence officer familiar with the investigation revealed that between June and early July 2025, Phiri and his associates jetted to meetings with Smartmatic’s Africa division contacts. Discussions reportedly centered on covert installation of manipulation-ready electoral systems, capable of skewing vote transmission, tampering with results, and derailing democracy.
The Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) has also confirmed that it is tracking suspicious offshore money flows routed from Dubai to Mauritius through shell entities posing as consulting firms.
These funds, intelligence suggests, are linked to so-called “election technology procurement” — a veiled term for a system designed to distort voter data and deliver a pre-determined outcome.
Smartmatic, a London-based firm with a controversial global track record, has been previously linked to electoral controversies in Venezuela, the Philippines, and Uganda.
In each case, allegations surfaced that its systems were used to mask vote tampering or obscure electoral transparency. Now, fears are growing that the same tactics are being imported into Malawi — with the DPP as a willing accomplice.
The DPP secured its connection through Venezuelan stakeholders who were hired as consultants for DPP’s 2025 manifesto yet to be unveiled.
Experts warn that the installation of Smartmatic software, if not checked, could silently manipulate voter rolls, alter vote tallies, and compromise results transmission without leaving an obvious trace.
According to political analyst, Chikondi Banda, what is unfolding is not politics as usual — it is a digital backdoor coup aimed at hijacking the will of the people.
Despite the severity of the allegations, Ben Phiri has remained conspicuously silent, refusing to respond to repeated calls and messages. The DPP’s spokesperson, Shadric Namalomba, also failed to issue any official response.
In previous comments, Namalomba has routinely dismissed such reports as “recycled lies” and “enemy’s propaganda.”
Civil society organisations have reacted with alarm. Timothy Kamwendo, Executive Director of the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT), condemned the revelations as cyber treason and called on the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Malawi Electoral Commission, and the Financial Intelligence Authority to launch immediate and coordinated investigations.
Public outrage is exploding on social media, where hashtags like #DPPSecrets, #SmartmaticScandal, and #NotAgainMalawi have begun trending.
Many citizens are warning that this must not be another Tippex election. Activists and ordinary voters alike are demanding accountability, with some vowing mass protests if authorities fail to act.
