LILONGWE-President Lazurus Chakwera and up to eight senior party officials are locked into an unpopularity contest.
Chakwera is one of the most unpopular politicians and living president, and his top team members are also most unpopular leaders in their constituencies.
Only two of current Cabinet Ministers are projected to win again in their constituencies.
Corruption, hunger, negligence in Cyclone Freddy areas, lack of leadership direction, poor economy and nepotism rank higher in the Investigator Magazine monthly poll which asks the same question to party supporters in targeted constituencies and likely voters on individuals and party performance.
With the MCP campaign likely to heavily revolve around Chakwera, to the point where it is not obvious if there is a plan B if he calls it quits as the economy heads towards a total crash.
President Chakwera is very unpopular among all presidents that have ruled Malawi and are alive, with Peter Mutharika, Joyce Banda and Bakili Muluzi performance in office ranking higher than the incumbent. We will release the national poll results in the print magazine on who leads in opinion polls for 2025 elections.
Deputy Speaker Madalitso Kazombo (Kasungu East) and MCP Director of Youth Richard Chimwendo Banda (Dowa East) are seen as performing officials within the MCP both at government and constituency level. They score average of 40 percent and are likely to be returned with a margin of 42 percent for Kazombo and 41 percent for Chimwendo Banda if elections were held in April 2023.
Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka (Lilongwe Mpenu) and Treasurer General Albert Mbawala (Ntcheu Central) will loose their parliamentary and party seats. Their popularity ranking is 7 and 8 percent respectively within the party members in their constituencies.
Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale who is a first timer in Dowa North East will need to work hard as only 29 percent of his constituency voters believe he is performing.
Other likely loosers in their constituencies include Finance Minister Sosten Gwengwe (Lilongwe Msozi North) with 26 percent, Lilongwe South West MP Jean Sendeza who has 25 percent of her constituents confidence.
Minister of Lands and Mchinji South West MP Deus Gumba popularity is tank’s at 22 percent while Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo (Kasungu South East), her deputy Halima Daudi Dowa South East) and Foreign Affairs Minister Nancy Tembo (Lilongwe City South West) will only manage 20 percent of their voting base.
Speaker and Deputy Secretary General Catherine Gotani Hara comes third among MCP gurus but can only muster 31 percent in her Mzimba North East constituency, and she is likely to loose the seat if voting was done now.
Newly appointed Minister of Homeland Security who is the partys Director of Stratehy Ken Zikhale Ng’oma is unlikely to return to parliament with only 19 percent voters in his Nkhata bay South saying they would vote for him. He has been largely absent from the constituency according to MCP voters in the area.
Jacob Hara, Mzimba Solora MP and Chiza Mkandawire for Karonga South are all going to loose their seats. Their popularity tied with the party’s poor record now stands at 14 percent each.
In the North, the least popular politician in the party is vice president Harry Mkandawire who can garner only 11 percent should he decide to retry his former Mzimba West constituency.
In the Northen Region, President Chakwera will only get 14 percent of the vote if elections were held in May 2023. Corruption, fertiliser subsidy programme, tribalism, economy and faliure to initiate development projects in the region are among key reasons.
In the Southern and Eastern regions the Presidents popularity is only around 9 percent.
The poll conducted in constituencies including Nsanje Lalanje, Nsanje North, Nsanje Central and Chikwawa South and Chikwawa Nkombezi the MCP parliamentarians will loose their seats and President Chakwera will only get 10 percent of votes for presidency. A total of 120 voters who identify themselves as MCP were asked.
Hunger, corruption and lack of direction to economic situation topped the issues driving away votes.
In Blantyre Kabula, City Centre and Mabalada the MCP popularity is only around 5 percent and no identifiable candidate that could win for the party as an MP. Fuel shortage, economy and nepotism rank high among reasons of not voting for Chakwera and MCP.
In the East, Zomba Thondwe, Zomba Chingale, Zomba Malosa and Chisi constituencies Chakwera will only get a share of 6 percent while in Mangochi Malombe, South, Central and Monkey Bay the MCP can only get around 11 percent of the vote.
In Mangochi fuel and passport shortages add up to hunger, corruption and tribalism concerns.
Source: Investigator Magazine