The UTM has announced it has left the Tonse Alliance with immediate effect, citing a betrayal of the Alliance Agreement by the partners.
UTM Publicity Secretary Felix Njawala made the announcement Friday afternoon in Lilongwe during a media briefing.
According to Njawala, UTM has among other things established that agreement terms were undermined and betrayed from the beginning.
“By undermining and betraying the Agreement the way our colleagues have, they have from the very beginning clearly telegraphed their intention that they no longer considered the Agreement binding. In a way, therefore, it is them who have repudiated the Agreement. And so today, we communicate to this nation that we so dearly love, and the service of which our leader so passionately cherished, that we accept the reality that we have been ejected from the so called Tonse Alliance,” he said.
Njawala added that the party is now looking forward to the 2025 General elections as it will contest as an independent party.
The Publicity Secretary also urged all eligible voters to register so that they vote during the elections.
“From today moving forward, UTM embarks on a journey towards the September 2025 Tripartite general elections. We march forward towards our October elective conference (Convention) where we will elect our torchbearer. Between now and October, we urge all Malawians of legal voting age, to actively participate in politics through registering so that they can vote in the next general election and usher in a future that they have only dreamt about,” he indicated.
Meanwhile, political commentator Chimwemwe Tsitsi has told Nthanda Times in an interview that the decision may not necessarily hinder their candidate’s selection or preparations for the 2025 polls.
Tsitsi noted UTM’s moving out from the Tonse Alliance might be seen as strategic to revamp the party.
“I think it may not necessarily affect how they select their candidates’ prepare for next year’s election as a party because I think they must have figured out that this is the best strategy for them to go into that election as a single party and not allied to any other political party as was the case until the announcement that has been made today. So for me I think it might be part of their strategy,” observed Tsitsi.
However, the commentator also acknowledged potential challenges, particularly regarding the circumstances that led to the decision.
“The most important thing would be whether it was a unanimous decision among UTM members or indeed it’s just some members making that decision with others making me disappointed with that decision,” said Tsitsi.
UTM was a major partner in the Tonse Alliance comprising Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and other parties.
The death of the party’s leader, who was the country’s Vice President Saulos Chilima in a plane crash on 10th June, 2024 has however created a void in the party.
