Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) have agreed to support President Lazarus Chakwera’s decision to appoint former Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda as the new Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
This comes after earlier disagreements among some MCP MPs who wanted the leader to be chosen through a vote, in line with Parliament’s standing orders. The MPs argued that the standing orders require opposition MPs to elect their leader, not have one appointed for them.
However, during a closed-door caucus meeting held on Tuesday evening at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, the MPs resolved to put their differences aside and stand behind the President’s pick.
The meeting, which lasted about two and a half hours, was chaired by MCP Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda and attended by senior party figures, including MCP Vice President Catherine Gotani Hara.
Speaking to Shire Times after the meeting, Chimwendo Banda confirmed that the party had agreed to fully support Chithyola.
“We have all agreed to rally behind the President’s appointee and we will all work together with one purpose — to make MCP stronger as we look ahead to 2030,” he said.
Another MCP legislator, Hon. Steven Malondela, also backed the decision and urged unity within the party.
“We will respect our dear President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on the appointment of Hon. Simplex Chithyola as Leader of Opposition. We need to pull in one direction,” he said.
He also advised MPs not to repeat what happened in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), where disagreements among MPs once led to internal battles, including court cases against the party president.
With this resolution, MCP MPs are expected to present a united front when Parliament resumes, ending days of uncertainty and internal debate.
