Malawi elections: VP seeks to run against President Chakwera

Malawi’s Vice-President Michael Usi has submitted his nomination papers to run for president against incumbent Lazarus Chakwera in general elections due in September.

Usi presented his papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on Tuesday and promised to bring order in public service if elected, the national news agency reports.

He is the presidential candidate of the newly-formed Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu party, a breakaway faction of UTM party which is in a coalition with President Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank President Lazarus Chakwera for entrusting me with the position of Vice-President as well as minister of state for public service delivery," said Usi.

Under Malawian law the president cannot fire the vice-president.

Chilima’s death

Usi rose to the vice-presidency last year following the death of then VP Saulos Chilima in a military plane crash.

If he is cleared to run, it will be the second time in the country’s history that a serving vice-president will be challenging the president in an election.

In 2019, then Vice-President Chilima ran against President Peter Mutharika after the pair fell out. Chilima had defied calls to resign and formed his own political party, the UTM. He came third.

Annulled election

But Mutharika's win in the election was annulled by Malawi's Constitutional Court because of widespread irregularities.

Chilima later teamed up as running-mate of Chakwera in a repeat election in 2020 which they resoundingly won.

But sharp divisions emerged in the coalition government following the death of Chilima in military aircraft crash. The UTM party subsequently nominated Usi to take up the vice-presidency position.